African
CUISINE
NEWS.REPORTS.COMMENTARY
All The Goodness of Africa
Global yam conference
calls for more
investments on yam
research, development
advantage of what
research o?ers.
According to him,
“the challenge is
to mobilize the
investment required
to conduct research
and develop the yam
value chain into a
pro?table enterprise
for small and largescale operators
alike.”
Wri?en by Adeleke Mainasara
Increasing funding for research
and development on yam will
help unleash the poten?al of the
crop, improve livelihoods, create
jobs and enhance food security
in Africa, par?cipants at the ?rst
ever global yam conference in
Accra, Ghana have said.
According to par?cipants who
were drawn from research ?elds,
policymakers, and representa?ves
from the private sector, the recent
investments in yam research are
paying o?, and demonstra?ng the
crop’s greater poten?al than what is
being realized.
“Sustaining and enhancing funding
support for yam research and
development backed by poli?cal
will are needed to unlock the crop’s
full poten?al,” said the Director
General of the Interna?onal Ins?tute
of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr
Nteranya Sanginga.
He praised the government of Japan,
Bill & Melinda Gates Founda?on,
and the West and Central African
Council for Agricultural Research and
Development (CORAF/WECARD) for
suppor?ng IITA on yam research and
called on researchers to develop a
vision for the crop.
Known as the ‘king of crops’ because
of its contribu?on to incomes and
food security, yam also has high
cultural value especially in tradi?onal
marriages in Africa. However, the
crop is under-researched due to
low funding and this has limited the
poten?al of the crop for allevia?ng
poverty.
“If we a?ract more investments to
Magazine Celebrating the Best of Africa’s Food & Drink in the Diaspora
advance and expand yam research
globally, the an?cipated bene?ts and
impacts will be quite enormous,”
says the Ghanaian Minister for
Food and Agriculture, Clement Ko?
Humado.
Represented by the Deputy Minister
for Food and Agriculture, Ahmed
Yakubu Alhassan, the minister said
that there was a need to “soberly
rethink through research-anddevelopment, and invest our limited
resources judiciously to ensure best
results.”
The Execu?ve Director, Forum for
Agricultural Research in Africa
(FARA), Dr Yemi Akinbamijo noted
that in spite of the contribu?on
to food security and incomes,
African crops such as yam have not
commanded the a?en?on they
deserved, and have as a result
remained underu?lized.
“Yams are unexploited in several
aspects: actual yields are lower
than poten?al, u?liza?on is low
for instance in animal feeds, and
poten?al for diversi?ca?on of
yam products among others is
unexploited,” he said.
Commending IITA for its contribu?on
to yam research and devel ??????)????????????????????????)????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)??????????????????????)?????????????????????????()Q??? ??????
????????????e???)???????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????)?I??????????%%Q?????????)]??????????????????
??????)?????? ??????
????????????e??)??????????????????????)???????????????????????????)????????????????????????????)????????????????????????)??????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????)???????????????????????)???????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????)??????????????????()????U???????Q4???)??????????
?????? ?????)%????????????????5???????)Q???%??????????????????
????????)???????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)??????)9\?e=I,????????????????????????????)???????????????????)????????????????????????????)???????U?????????????????)?????????????????????)%???????????????????????A??????) ????
???????????
?????? ?????((?((