Adoption of Innovations for Cacao Pest and Disease Management in Huila, Colombia: Insights From Regression and Social Network Analysis

Cacao ( Theobroma cacao L.) is fundamental to rural economies in Colombia, with Huila contributing 8% of the national output. However, its production is severely constrained by pests and diseases, such as Moniliophthora roreri , Phytophthora palmivora , and Carmenta foraseminis , which can cause yield losses of 30%–100%. Limited adoption of integrated pest and disease management (IPDM) practices among smallholders exacerbates these constraints, undermining sustainability. This study identifies the socioeconomic and institutional factors associated with IPDM adoption in Huila. Because the data are cross‐sectional, relationships are interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. A survey of 156 cacao farmers across six municipalities (2024) was analyzed using beta and fractional regression models, suitable for proportional outcomes, complemented by co‐occurrence and social network analysis. The Innovation Adoption Index (INAI), rebuilt to exclude items used as predictors, averaged 0.63, indicating moderate adoption. After controlling for farmer, farm, and institutional characteristics, participation in training (average marginal effect, AME = 0.148; p = 0.024), access to extension services (AME = 0.116; p = 0.004), and credit use (AME = 0.082; p = 0.007) were positively associated with adoption, whereas total farm area was negatively associated (AME = −0.005; p = 0.004). Association membership was not individually significant, although the institutional block was jointly significant ( p < 0.001), suggesting an indirect channel operating through training and extension. Social network analysis identified extension agents as central knowledge brokers but revealed weak farmer‐to‐farmer ties. Strengthening cooperative networks, participatory learning, and targeted extension could enhance IPDM diffusion and reinforce sustainable cacao production in Colombia.