Agronomic and economic performance of seed yam production using minisetts in the middle belt of Nigeria

ABSTRACT

White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is an important tuber crop of West Africa and the Caribbean, and one of the key limiting factors in its production is the availability of good quality planting material. The Adaptive Yam Minisett Technique (AYMT) was designed to help overcome this constraint. The paper presents an analysis of agronomic and economic data collected across four years (2013 to 2016) of AYMT plots planted in two areas within the middle-belt of Nigeria. Of the 136 plots that were established, 11% were lost to flooding and damage from Fulani cattle. Mean yield was 13.16 t/ha, 17,747 tubers/ha and the mean tuber weight was 0.73 kg. Plot yield declined with an increase in planting time, while plots owned by female farmers were on average planted later than those owned by their male counterparts; this helps explain the effect of gender noted in a previous study. Differences in yield were also noted between the two areas, which could also partly be explained by differences in planting time. The plots were profitable, with a mean cost over the four years of Naira 915,196/ha, revenue of Naira 3,197,786/ha and gross margin of Naira 2,282,591/ha (equivalent to US$4,039, US$14,319 and US$10,280 respectively). The main factor influencing costs and revenue was year, with no effect of gender. There is a need for more research on planting time in AYMT and how it interacts with factors, such as yam variety.

KEYWORDS:

• Adaptive yam minisett technique
• gender
• labor
• planting date
• planting material

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the help of Clement Agada and Gabriel Ameh in the Idah and Amoke areas, respectively. The authors also thank Dr. Lava Kumar, Dr. Robert Asiedu, Dr Beatrice Aighewi and Dr Norbert Maroya, all of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this work by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) under the Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) grant awarded to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

Notes

1. US$:Naira Official Exchange rate as of the 15^th December each year: 2013 US$1 = Naira 158.85; 2014 US$1 = Naira 180.80; 2015 US$1 = Naira 199.00; 2016 US$1 = Naira 317.00.