IITA launches new project for yam production

The release said smallholder farmers in the main yam-growing areas of West Africa will benefit from this new project. The 5-year project, called “AfricaYam: Enhancing Yam Breeding for Increased Productivity and Improved Quality in West Africa”, is led by IITA with key partners in the four main producer countries in West Africa: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana […]

The release said smallholder farmers in the main yam-growing areas of West Africa will benefit from this new project.
 The 5-year project, called “AfricaYam: Enhancing Yam Breeding for Increased Productivity and Improved Quality in West Africa”, is led by IITA with key partners in the four main producer countries in West Africa: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria, and international research organisations and universities.
This crucial staple crop plays a very important role in food security, income generation and the sociocultural lives of at least 60 million people in West Africa.
“Yam breeding can make major contributions to addressing this situation.
The new project will raise the capacity for yam breeding in West Africa by developing high-yielding and robust varieties of white and water yams preferred by farmers and suited to market demands,” said Robert Asiedu, IITA Research for Development Director, Western Africa.
 The project partners will work towards increasing yam productivity while reducing production costs and impact on the environment by developing and deploying farmer-preferred varieties with higher yield, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and improved quality.
 The project will be supported with a US$13.5-million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and co-financing from participating institutions.
 The key project partners in West Africa are the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) and the Ebonyi State University (EBSU) in Nigeria and two research institutes under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Ghana.