Growing Diversity – West Africa

TITLE OF EXPERIENCE: The domestication and cultivation of yams in West Africa

AUTHOR: Village communities of Ando-Kpomey (Togo), Wawa (Togo), Djigbé (Benin), Bantè and Dabakala (Côte d’Ivoire) and Co-ordination of the Project 'Promotion of biological diversity in West Africa'

COUNTRY AND REGION: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, Ando-Kpomey (Togo), Wawa (Togo), Djigbé (Benin), Bantè (Benin), Dabakala (Côte d’Ivoire)

ECOLOGICAL ZONE: Savannahs

ABSTRACT

In West Africa yams make up an important part of the human diet. Many species of yam originate in the sub-region of Guinea or Cameroon. Still today, certain wild species are still being domesticated, although this activity is dwindling and is mainly carried out in most cases by 50 - 60 year old people. Often, even where people are from ethnic groups who have made a major contribution to the cultivation of yam, they act alone; the domestication of the yam is not a collective activity. The descriptions of the domestication of yam by the Nagot of Banté, the Aïzo of Djigbé and the farmers of Wawa in Togo show that the methods of domestication vary within ethnicities, regions and countries.

In Benin, the Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, yam farmers are individuals, originating from villages or areas known for their cultivation of this plant. A survey of farmers producing yams in the Kévé region showed that farmers are confronted with problems such as the disappearance of certain varieties. Ex. Kpoka, hyanyassi from Togo; varieties are introduced from Benin, Togo and Ghana. In the Côte d’Ivoire where yam is the main food crop by weight, it is only cultivated once on a plot of land and depletes the biological resources. Benin farmers have developed farming practices that allow for yams to be continuously grown on the same land, by intercropping different crops (cereals, leguminous plants, cotton) in the crop rotation cycle. Journeys from Côte d’Ivoire farmers have since been started to visit Benin farmers.

CONTACT:

Communautés villageoises d’Ando-Kpomey (Togo), de Wawa (Togo), de Djigbé (Bénin) et de Bantè (Bénin) S/C Coordination du Projet « Promouvoir la diversité biologique en Afrique de l’Ouest » (Project Coordinator of “Promoting 06 BP 2083 - Cotonou – BENIN, Tél. 229 33 79 50 – Fax 229 33 79 15 – Email : jzoundjihekpon@firstnet.bj