yam Archives - IITA News

A machine for making yam mounds?

Yam is the “king of crops” in West Africa and one of the most important energy sources for many African countries. However, cultivating and preparing it is tedious for farmers because yam is planted in mounds (30 to 50 cm high and 1 or 2 m apart). The advantage of the mound system in yam…

Scientists develop mini-core collection for guinea yam germplasm

With West Africa accounting for 92% of the world’s annual yam production (67 million tons; FAO, 2018), yam plays a significant role in the region’s food security and income generation. While yam is a common name for the multiple crop species belonging to the genus Dioscorea, widely cultivated as a staple crop in tropical and subtropical regions, Dioscorea rotundata is the most…

Scientists reveal the hybrid origin of the white Guinea yam

An international team of scientists has revealed the origin of the most popular food staple in Africa, the white Guinea yam. Yam is a major staple widely consumed in West Africa. This starchy tuber is an important food crop that contributes to the sustenance and sociocultural lives of over 300 million people in the region….

Early adopter of YIIFSWA-promoted improved yam varieties enjoys “fantastic” yield

Beaming with pride, Chief Joshua Ojedele showed off his 2-hectare yam field cultivated from improved varieties that he got from the Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) project. His farm was lush green with healthy foliage, promising a good harvest. All the mounds had at least one yam plant with…

COVID19 – Work in shifts, researchers advise yam seed producers and farmers

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, governments all over the world have instituted specific measures such as physical distancing and staying at home. Unfortunately, for farmers, time is of the essence since the rainy season is here and it will soon end, – whether we are facing a pandemic or not. For farmers, the rains…

IITA BIP team sets new production per hectare record for yam farmers in Nigeria

The Business Incubation Platform (BIP) of IITA has set a new record of 23 t/ha for yam production in Nigeria. This record, which was achieved through a controlled trial, has been set to guide farmers in achieving increased yields from their yam farms. Yam is the common name for plant species of the genus Dioscorea…

YIIFSWA-II participates in Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG XXVIII) in San Diego

Billed as the largest Plant and Animal Genome meeting in the world, scientists from around the world converged at San Diego, California, USA, for PAG XXVIII from 11 to 15 January to promote research discoveries, exchange ideas, and gain new insights on plant and animal genome research and development. YIIFSWA-II scientists, Norbert Maroya and Morufat…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo joins the bandwagon, elated about recent seed yam harvest

Wind back to mid-2019, to be exact 25 May. At the commissioning ceremony of the Senator Abiola Ajimobi Ring Road, Agricultural Transformation Building, and presentation of the OYSG Agricultural Policy Framework developed by IITA and NISER, President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed interest in setting up a one-hectare seed yam production for quality seed yam. This he…

YIIFSWA-II participates in Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG XXVIII) in San Diego

YIIFSWA-II exhibits at Annual NASC Seed Fair and Farmers Day

The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) held its annual Seed Fair and Farmers Day on 17 October, at their headquarters in Sheda, Abuja. The theme of this year’s event was “Making quality seeds available, accessible and affordable to Nigerian farmers.” The new Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono indicated that there…