The aim of this paper is to shed light on the role of income in the causal relationship between agricultural technical efficiency and food security. To achieve this, we used data collected from 1233 cassava-producing households in Cameroon about the 2017/2018 agricultural season. We mobilized the DEA method to estimate the household efficiency score. We also mobilized the household dietary diversity score (HDDS) to report on food security. Finally, we ran an ordered logit model regression with sequential sample variation on average daily household income. The results of this study show that cassava producers are very inefficient (VRSTE=22.5%, CRSTE=19.2%), have low dietary diversification and that the threshold income at which food security would be guaranteed is USD 3 per person per day. Some recommendations are made to capitalize on the effect of agricultural technical efficiency on food security.

Keywords: Food security; DEA; security threshold; efficiency; household dietary diversity score.