Knowledge–practice gap in circular economy adoption among agri-food SMEs in northern Benin

The transition to a circular economy (CE) is now widely regarded as a crucial pathway toward sustainable development in a context marked by accelerated resource depletion, increasing waste challenges, and intensifying environmental pressures. In the agri-food sector, this transition largely depends on the ability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to translate circular principles into concrete operational practices. This study examines the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the 6R principles of CE among 288 agri-food SME managers surveyed in July 2025 across four municipalities in northern Benin, a region characterized by a high concentration of agro-productive activities and an entrepreneurial fabric that plays a vital role in the national economy. Cross-sectional data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and a seemingly unrelated regression model was employed to identify the determinants of knowledge, attitudes, and practice levels. The findings reveal a strong conceptual understanding and broadly positive attitudes toward CE principles. However, practical implementation remains more limited and uneven, highlighting a persistent gap between declared intentions and effective action. The analyses indicate that this gap is shaped by managerial characteristics (age, gender, education level), organizational attributes (firm age, legal status, network membership), digital tool use, and territorial context. These results point to structural and institutional constraints that hinder the operationalization of circular strategies and call for targeted managerial capacity-building initiatives, improved access to professional networks, and the development of supportive territorial ecosystems to foster more effective and inclusive adoption of circular practices in resource-constrained economic contexts.