Clean Yam Planting Material
Expected impact
There are a number of impact indicators that can be considered.
First better plant husbandry through the pilot activities was seeing an increase in productivity of 700%. Second is the area of better clean yam planting materials - but these factors are interrelated. The third aspect is the impact on food security.
Potential seed yam entrepreneurs have been carefully selected by the project from a pool of people given technical seed yam training under the RNRSS funded programme. It is anticipated that around 500,000 seed yam will be produced by seed yam entrepreneurs in Kogi State - this is subject to timing of the rains.
In the rest of Nigeria outside of Kogi State IITA is taking the lead. In Ekiti State ten farmers have each received 2,000 yam should produce 200,000 seed yam. Networking and brokerage activity with other projects in Abuja (Federal Capital Territory), Nasawara and Cross Rivers State are establishing seed yam entrepreneur across the yam belt. In addition the teams are working with schools in Nasawara and two schools in Abuja and Cross Rivers State providing demonstrations of the multiplication for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
In addition DDS have their own seed multiplication and training farm. This NGO has previously developed income streams and has invested in producing 200,000 seed yam on its own farm. This will increase its income but also provide a supply of disease free seed yam for farmers.
A small additional investment from RIU, after this cropping season, could well lead to a million more seed yams being available in Nigeria.
The number of beneficiary farmer will be hard to calculate as depending on their assets farmers can cultivate between 100 and 50,000 yams. However, in terms of the consumers, even after one year this will provide great benefits. The National Root Crops Research Institute estimates a multiplication rate of one to ten yams. As the average seed yam has been measured at 0.9kg this would give a ware yam weight of 9kg, a total of 8,000 tonnes of yam produced as a result of this 'pilot'. This would be sufficient to feed 131,000 people for a year.
A serious effort at producing clean seed yam would potentially revolutionize agriculture in the Niger/Benue region as well as ensuring the varieties that are part of the genetic resource base of that region. The socio-economic results would go a long way in reducing poverty.
Expected impact
There are a number of impact indicators that can be considered.
First better plant husbandry through the pilot activities was seeing an increase in productivity of 700%. Second is the area of better clean yam planting materials - but these factors are interrelated. The third aspect is the impact on food security.
Potential seed yam entrepreneurs have been carefully selected by the project from a pool of people given technical seed yam training under the RNRSS funded programme. It is anticipated that around 500,000 seed yam will be produced by seed yam entrepreneurs in Kogi State - this is subject to timing of the rains.
In the rest of Nigeria outside of Kogi State IITA is taking the lead. In Ekiti State ten farmers have each received 2,000 yam should produce 200,000 seed yam. Networking and brokerage activity with other projects in Abuja (Federal Capital Territory), Nasawara and Cross Rivers State are establishing seed yam entrepreneur across the yam belt. In addition the teams are working with schools in Nasawara and two schools in Abuja and Cross Rivers State providing demonstrations of the multiplication for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
In addition DDS have their own seed multiplication and training farm. This NGO has previously developed income streams and has invested in producing 200,000 seed yam on its own farm. This will increase its income but also provide a supply of disease free seed yam for farmers.
A small additional investment from RIU, after this cropping season, could well lead to a million more seed yams being available in Nigeria.
The number of beneficiary farmer will be hard to calculate as depending on their assets farmers can cultivate between 100 and 50,000 yams. However, in terms of the consumers, even after one year this will provide great benefits. The National Root Crops Research Institute estimates a multiplication rate of one to ten yams. As the average seed yam has been measured at 0.9kg this would give a ware yam weight of 9kg, a total of 8,000 tonnes of yam produced as a result of this 'pilot'. This would be sufficient to feed 131,000 people for a year.
A serious effort at producing clean seed yam would potentially revolutionize agriculture in the Niger/Benue region as well as ensuring the varieties that are part of the genetic resource base of that region. The socio-economic results would go a long way in reducing poverty.
| Seed yam project, November 2010 (08:07) |  |
