-->PONE-D-25-50752-->-->Seeding food security: Overcoming barriers to quality potato seed adoption among smallholders in Kenya-->-->PLOS One

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Additional Editor Comments:

Please, address concerns raised by reviewers in great detail. Thank you

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

-->Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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-->2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->

Reviewer #1: I Don't Know

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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-->5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)-->

Reviewer #1: 1. Clarity on “quality seed” classification

Quality seed includes certified seed, rapid multiplication, and “known-source” seed not formally inspected. This category is broad. The paper should clarify:

how many farmers used certified vs. non-certified quality seeds, and

whether impacts differ by seed type.

2. Need stronger explanation of intensity variable

Intensity is defined as land allocated to quality seed, but later model output mentions “acres planted” rather than “proportion” — this needs consistency and clearer measurement.

3. Some factors have unexpected signs

Credit access negatively influences adoption but increases intensity. This is explained, but it would be stronger if supported with:

more qualitative evidence, or

discussion of how credit is used (school fees, health, etc.)

4. Sustainability and long-term adoption not addressed

The study itself acknowledges it does not examine when adoption occurred or whether farmers will continue using quality seed. This is important for policy, since seed adoption may be seasonal or temporary.

Reviewer #2: Summary of the Research This manuscript investigates the factors influencing the adoption and intensity of use of quality potato seeds among smallholder farmers in Kenya (Meru, Nakuru, and Nyandarua counties). Using a sample of 541 households, the authors employ a Heckman two-stage model to analyze adoption drivers and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to assess the impact of adoption on household food security. The study finds that while adoption rates are relatively low (approx. 44%), the use of quality seeds significantly improves household dietary diversity and food consumption scores.

General Assessment The manuscript addresses a critical issue regarding food security and agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. The research question is clearly defined, and the study design is technically sound. The use of a multi-stage stratified sampling technique ensures a representative sample, and the choice of econometric models (Heckman and PSM) is appropriate for handling selection bias and analyzing the distinct phases of technology adoption.

However, there is a critical compliance issue regarding the Data Availability Policy that must be resolved before publication. Additionally, there are minor formatting and grammatical errors that require correction.

Specific Comments & Suggestions

1. Methodology and Analysis

Model Justification: The justification for using the Heckman two-stage model over Tobit or Double Hurdle models is well-reasoned and supported by the literature . The distinction that adoption and intensity are sequential decisions influenced by different factors is a strong point of the analysis.

Instrument Validity: The authors have rightly identified "membership in farmers' organizations" and "access to subsidies" as exclusion restrictions. The pre-estimation checks, including the over-identification test (S2 Table) and VIF analysis (mean 3.92), suggest the statistical approach is rigorous .

Robustness Checks: The use of three different matching algorithms (NNM, KBM, RCM) and the Rosenbaum bounds sensitivity analysis significantly strengthens the validity of the food security impact findings .

2. Results and Interpretation

Credit Access Paradox: The finding that credit access negatively influences initial adoption but positively influences intensity of use is fascinating . The discussion suggests this may be due to the diversion of funds to non-agricultural needs. It would be valuable if the authors could expand on this in the Discussion section—perhaps suggesting that initial adoption relies more on risk perception than liquidity, whereas scaling up (intensity) is purely capital-dependent.

Formatting of Units: There are several instances where LaTeX-style formatting codes have remained in the text (e.g., Page 13, line 131: $8~tons/ha$). Please strip these formatting tags to ensure the text is clean standard English.

3. Minor Corrections (Grammar and Typos)

Page 19, Lines 417-418: The phrase "This implies that young and more educated farmers can be able to weigh the benefits..." is tautological. Please revise to "are able to weigh" or "can weigh" .

Page 35, Line 639: "These findings align with misconceptions... reported by [37] and partly explain why..." strictly speaking, the subject "misconceptions" is plural, but if the subject is the "findings" (plural), "explain" is correct. However, if referring to the "study" or "report", check for subject-verb agreement.

Page 53 (References): There is a typo in the supporting information list: "Rosesnbaum bounds" should be corrected to "Rosenbaum bounds".

Consistency: Ensure consistent capitalization of "Sub-County" throughout the manuscript.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes: Guy Roussel Takuissu Nguemto

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Seeding food security: Overcoming barriers to quality potato seed adoption among smallholders in Kenya

PONE-D-25-50752R1

Dear Dr. Isaboke,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

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Kind regards,

Charles Odilichukwu R. Okpala, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS One

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Accepted for publication.

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

-->Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

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-->2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

-->4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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-->6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)-->

Reviewer #1: all comments and query have been addressed properly. suitable for publication. Grammatical and English writing also rechecked and corrected with highest priority.

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Reviewer #1: No

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