Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management

Weed-free Fields, Bountiful Yields!

The "Six Steps Cassava Weed Management" technology is a comprehensive solution to the persistent issue of weed encroachment in cassava fields across Sub-Saharan Africa. By offering a decision support framework that covers various key control measures, it empowers farmers to keep their cassava crops free of weeds, resulting in significantly higher root yields. This innovative approach is adaptable to the diverse agricultural conditions and resources of small-scale farmers, making it a valuable tool for increasing cassava productivity and improving food security in the region.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

9•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 7/9

Project adoption1

Technology integrated in the ENSURE- East Africa project.

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.

See project details ›

Adults 18 and over: Positive medium

The poor: No impact

Under 18: Positive low

Women: Positive medium

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: A bit less water used

Problem

Weed Encroachment: Cassava fields across Sub-Saharan Africa are often overrun by weeds, as farmers generaally do not take adequate and timely measures to keep weed covers low.
Slow Canopy Development: The planting arrangement of cassava and its slow canopy development make the crop susceptible to encroachment by weeds in the first 10-16 weeks of cultivation.
Nutrient and Water Competition: When weeds are abundant on farms, they consume significant nutrients and water from the soil, severely reducing the yield of cassava roots.
Complex Weed Challenge: The diversity of weed types, including grasses, broad leaves, and even bushy plants, requires a multifaceted approach.
Resource Availability: The availability of equipment and herbicides can be a limiting factor for some small-scale farmers.

Solution

Improved Yield: By effectively managing weeds, cassava farmers can achieve significantly higher root yields, often exceeding 20 tons per hectare, compared to the national average of 9 tons per hectare.
Comprehensive Approach: The technology provides a holistic strategy that includes site selection, weed identification, herbicide application, tillage operations, plant spacing, and post-emergence weeding, ensuring thorough weed control.
Customized to Local Conditions: It is adaptable to diverse agricultural contexts, from sub-humid savannahs to highlands and humid lowlands, addressing various forms of weed encroachment.
Enhanced Decision Support: The "Six Steps" approach offers decision support and recommendations aligned with prevailing conditions, helping farmers keep their cassava crops free of weeds and achieve high root yields.
Resource-Friendly: Small-scale farmers can implement this strategy using simple and cost-effective equipment and herbicides, making it accessible to a wide range of farmers.

Key points to design your program

The Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management is an integrated decision-support approach that combines site selection, appropriate land preparation, timely weed control, and good agronomic practices to improve cassava productivity and reduce production losses caused by weeds. It can be integrated into cassava value chain development, food security, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable intensification, and rural livelihood programmes. By improving weed management efficiency, optimizing labour and herbicide use, and reducing competition for water and nutrients during the critical early growth stages, the technology strengthens cassava productivity, farm profitability, and environmental sustainability. It supports SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action), while improving productivity and reducing labour constraints for women, youth, and smallholder cassava producers.

To successfully integrate this technology, consider the following key actions:

Identify cassava production areas where high weed pressure, labour shortages, and declining productivity constrain household livelihoods.
Establish partnerships with IITA, ProPAS, national agricultural research institutions, extension services, mechanization providers, agro-input suppliers, and farmer organizations to support technology dissemination and technical guidance.
Assess local weed species, production systems, labour availability, herbicide access, mechanization opportunities, and farmer capacities to determine the most appropriate weed management strategy.
Strengthen technical capacity through Farmer Field Schools by training farmers, extension agents, and service providers on the complete Six Steps approach, including site selection, land preparation, weed identification, safe herbicide application, planting practices, and integrated weed management.
Promote integrated cassava production systems by combining the Six Steps approach with improved cassava varieties, appropriate plant spacing, soil fertility management, calibrated spraying equipment, and timely pre- and post-emergence weed control.
Support advisory services, demonstration plots, agro-input suppliers, mechanization service providers, and farmer organizations to strengthen sustainable weed management systems and facilitate long-term technology adoption.
Monitor programme performance through indicators such as weed infestation levels, cassava productivity, labour efficiency, production costs, technology adoption, household income, and the participation of women and youth.

20-30 USD/ha

Cost for herbicide application

28-46 USD/ha

Cost for weed removal labor

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 9 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: validated

Level of use 9 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted