The role of plant health in the sustainable production of seed yams in Nigeria: A challenging nexus between plant health, human food security, and culture

Abstract

Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is a root and tuber crop throughout West Africa and has significant nutritional, economic, and cultural value, which underpins its importance for the food security of many people who live there. The crop is propagated vegetatively, primarily via the planting of small whole tubers (seed yams) and pieces (setts) cut from larger tubers. However, the use of such vegetative material means that a variety of pests (primarily insects and nematodes) and diseases (primarily fungal and viral) can carry over and multiply from season to season. This paper sets out the plant health issues associated with yam, and how these have been addressed by improving the availability of good quality planting material, especially via the Yam Minisett Technique (YMT) and the more recently developed Adapted Yam Minisett Technique (AYMT). Both approaches are based on the planting of “minisetts” treated with pesticide to produce seed yam free of pests and fungal pathogens, but there have been challenges regarding their adoption by farmers. The paper explores these challenges and how these attempts to improve plant health fit into a wider discussion of the sustainability of yam production in West Africa given that there are other driving forces of climate change, globalization, and urbanization at play in the region.