Impact of climate-smart agricultural technologies adoption on food security in the West African Sahel: evidence from Mali and Niger

Abstract

Food security remains a critical development challenge in the West African Sahel Region (WASR), where climate vulnerability and limited adaptive capacity threaten rural livelihoods. This study examined the food security impact of adopting climate-smart agricultural technologies (CSAT) among 3,371 smallholder staple crop farmers in WASR (Mali and Niger). We used an extended ordered probit and multinomial endogenous treatment effect model to analyze food security impact using two most common response variables: Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Household Food Consumption Scores (HFCS). Findings show that several socio-demographic, socio-institutional, location, and bio-climatic factors drive CSAT adoption and food security. Impact results indicate that CSAT adopters are more food insecure than non-adopters. Mechanism analysis reveals that adopters retained a smaller proportion of their crop production for household consumption but generated higher crop revenues through increased market sales. This shift in allocation suggests that while CSAT adoption may enhance financial returns, it can simultaneously undermine household food security when economic gains are not translated into improved dietary access. These findings suggest that farm-level sensitization programs should emphasize the need for farmers to strike a balance between agricultural investment and food security.