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Enhancing Yam Systems in Africa for Sustainable Livelihoods

This initiative aims to improve yam productivity, reduce losses, enhance seed supply, and promote diverse yam products to support food security and poverty reduction in West and Central Africa. Collaborative efforts involve research, germplasm evaluation, seed health studies, and stakeholder engagement.

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Enhancing Yam Systems in Africa for Sustainable Livelihoods

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  1. Improving Livelihoods in Rural West and Central Africa through Productive and Competitive Yam Systems R. Asiedu, IITA

  2. Goal The yam sub-sector contributes to food security and poverty reduction in West Africa Purpose Producers increase yield, reduce storage losses, and improve seed supply. Processors and traders target markets for diverse yam products.

  3. IFAD-TAG 457 This is a follow-up to IFAD-TAG 457, which brought together teams in each of five countries (Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire) to work on major problems of yam production from 2000 to 2004.

  4. Objectives of TAG 457 • Increase the availability of: • technologies for improving/maintaining soil fertility and for managing pests (including weeds) and diseases in a sustainable fashion • improved varieties of the major cultivated species of yams in West Africa • improved postharvest technologies

  5. Principal Implementing Agencies • Centre National de la Recherche Agronomique (CNRA), Cote d’Ivoire • Crops Research Institute (CRI), Ghana • Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Benin (INRAB), Benin • Institut Togolais de Recherche Agronomique (ITRA), Togo • National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Nigeria

  6. Collaboration with other institutes • Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Benin • Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS), Cote d’Ivoire • Natural Resources Institute (NRI), UK/ South Pacific Yam Network (SPYN)

  7. Links with other Projects • Root & Tuber Improvement Programme (RTIP), Ghana • Root & Tuber Expansion Programme (RTEP), Nigeria • Programme pour Developpement des Racines et Tubercules (PDRT), Benin • Marketing and Local Initiatives Support Project, (PACIL), Cote d’Ivoire • INCO-Yam Postharvest Project (West Africa) • IITA/GTZ/CSIR Seed Project (WASDU/WASNET)

  8. Germplasm Evaluation of local landraces Bénin: 150 accessions C. d’Ivoire: 266 (141 D. alata & 125 D. rotundata) Ghana: 251 (125 & 126)

  9. Germplasm Delivered by IITA to Partners Country No. D. rotundata clones 2000 2001 2002 Benin 2340 11 C. d’Ivoire 733 20 Ghana 169 62 12 Nigeria 104 29 79 Togo 166 0 12

  10. Germplasm Farmer participatory evaluation Bénin: 19 farmers 41 genotypes 5 sites C. d’Ivoire: 300 farmers 6 genotypes Ghana: 88 farmers, 48 genotypes, 3 districts (on-farm) 90 farmers, 100 genotypes 3 sites (on-station) Nigeria: 54 farmers, 54 genotypes, 6 states

  11. Germplasm • Varietal releases • Nigeria (3 in 2001; 4 in 2003) • Ghana (3 in 2005) • Cote d’Ivoire (first inspection) Final stages of testing water yam in Nigeria for formal release (at least 15 ADPs involved)

  12. Seed Health • Economic advantages of using healthy seeds in yam cultivation (Togo, Nigeria) • Farmers’ Perceptions and factors associated with willingness to adopt hot-water therapy for disinfecting seed yams

  13. Process that led to the proposal • workplan and progress review workshop at Parakou, north Benin Republic in February, 2003 (coordinators of all three root crop investment programs attended) • in-country stakeholder workshops and document reviews (organized in Ghana in April and Nigeria in May 2003 by RTIP and RTEP, respectively) • SC meeting at Umudike in June 2003 to produce summary of priority areas for the proposal • drafting and submission of proposal

  14. Participating Countries The five countries in TAG 457 (Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire) and Cameroon The addition of Cameroon, facilitated by knowledge of formulation of a country programme on root and tuber crops there, completed coverage of the ‘yam belt’. These six countries account for 92% of the world’s annual yam production of about 40 million metric tons

  15. Towards Implementation Proposal approved in September 2004 Stakeholders’ workshop in November 2004 Call sent out in December 2004 for proposals for small grants from potential partners for execution of selected project activities A three-member Research Advisory Committee (RAC) will apply published guidelines in evaluating proposals. The coordinator of PRONAF has already kindly agreed to serve on the committee to bring in some inter-TAG benefits.

  16. Criteria for assessment: (i) co-financing by IFAD investment or other development projects (ii) scientific quality, (iii) clarity of strategy for participation of potential end-users (especially women and the poor) and for feedback, (iv) feasibility of proposed sub-project within a three-year time frame, (v) research attainment or experience of the researchers on the subject (multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional teams are preferred) (vi) portability of value-added opportunities outside the Project area.

  17. TAG and Country Programmes Joint planning and monitoring of activities plus co-financing Technologies developed in the TAG will be much more likely to be tested and disseminated through the investment programmes. 5.3% of total TAG budget (ca. $26,000 per year) allocated to facilitating the links with IFAD investment projects. Funds are allocated for national level coordination, including partial funding of national workshops on yams, in order to enhance in-country collaboration in yam research and development.

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