Logo
TAAT e-catalog for government
https://e-catalogs.taat-africa.org/gov/technologies/climate-smart-and-market-preferred-yam-varieties
Request information View pitch brochure
Request information Download pitch brochure Translate

Climate-Smart and Market-Preferred Yam Varieties

More yield, better quality, stronger resilience!

These varieties can produce between 20 and 30 tons per hectare, compared to 5 to 10 tons from traditional yams. They mature earlier, in 7 to 8 months instead of 10 to 12, which enables double cropping or quicker returns for farmers. They carry resistance or tolerance to major threats such as yam mosaic virus, anthracnose, nematodes, and beetles. In addition, they are compatible with cost-efficient seed yam production technologies, including minisett, vine cutting, and semi-autotrophic hydroponics (SAH). Their tubers are more uniform, market-preferred, and offer high poundability, storability, and consumer-appealing taste.

2

This technology is pre-validated.

9•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 7/9

Positive impacts: 9

Target groups Positive impacts
Youth with low literacy in rural area
  • Early maturity and higher yields offer faster income generation, motivating youth adoption.
  • Affordable seed multiplication (minisett, SAH, vine cuttings) lowers entry barriers for youth with limited capital.
  • Climate resilience reduces failure risk, encouraging sustained youth engagement.
Women smalholder famer with limited land access
  • Pest and disease resistance lowers need for chemical inputs, reducing cost and labor burdens for women.
  • Better storability and uniform tuber quality support food security and small-scale marketing activities.
  • Compatibility of improved varieties with minisett and vine cuttings improves affordable seed access.
Older farmers with low income in climate vulnerable area
  • Climate-smart breeding stabilizes yields for older farmers facing harsher conditions.
  • Early maturity enables faster turnover on limited land, improving food and income security.
  • Reduced pest/disease losses cut input costs and labor demands.
More...
Unintended impacts: 9
Mitigations: 9
Barriers: 9
Mitigations: 9

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

These improved varieties are bred for resilience to drought, low soil fertility, and temperature stresses, helping sustain yields despite changing climates.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Farmer awareness of climate change effects is growing, supporting adoption of these varieties and practices.

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

These varieties combined with improved management practices (ridging, fertilizer application, mulching) improve nutrient use efficiency, increase soil organic matter, and enhance fertility, reducing degradation common in continuous yam cropping.

Water use: Much less water used

Early maturing and drought-tolerant traits help reduce water demand by shortening field duration and improving water use efficiency.

Biodiversity: Not verified

Problem

  • Low productivity of local yams: Traditional landraces yield only 5–10 t/ha, insufficient to meet national food security demands and commercial market needs.
  • High vulnerability to pests and diseases: Yam mosaic virus, anthracnose, nematodes, and yam beetles cause significant crop losses, reducing national production and increasing dependency on imports.
  • Long maturity periods: Most local yams require 10–12 months to mature, tying up land and slowing turnover, which limits options for crop rotation and multi-season planning.
  • Limited access to quality seed: Farmers often rely on recycling large tubers as planting material, which is inefficient and reduces food availability.
  • Post-harvest and market constraints: Irregular tuber shapes, poor storability, and low consumer-preferred qualities limit the commercialization potential of traditional yams.
  • Climate stress: Drought, low soil fertility, and other environmental stresses affect crop reliability, threatening national targets for stable production.

Solution

  • Boost productivity: Adoption of improved yam varieties increases yields to 20–30 t/ha, enhancing national food supply and reducing import dependency.
  • Pest and disease management: Varieties resistant or tolerant to major pests and diseases reduce losses and lower reliance on chemical pesticides, supporting safer and sustainable production.
  • Early maturity for efficient land use: Varieties maturing in 7–8 months allow multiple cropping seasons, improving land-use efficiency and overall output.
  • Seed system strengthening: Compatibility with minisett, vine cutting, and semi-autotrophic hydroponics (SAH) enables more affordable and reliable seed multiplication for farmers.
  • Improved marketability: Uniform, consumer-preferred tubers with better storability enhance commercialization and value-chain integration.
  • Climate resilience: Varieties perform better under low fertility, drought, and variable climatic conditions, stabilizing national production and supporting policy goals for resilient food systems.

Key points to design your project

The improved yam varieties offers a practical solution to the environmental and socio-economic challenges faced in yam production across Sub-Saharan Africa. 

To integrate this technology into your project, plan activities around

  • Multiplying quality planting material using minisett and semi-autotrophic hydroponics (SAH) to lower seed costs and enhance availability.
  • Establish training programs to support farmers—especially women and youth—with knowledge on improved agronomic and pest management practices.
  • Include communication efforts like flyers, videos, and radio broadcasts to raise awareness.

  • Consider the overall costs associated with seed yam procurement, including sourcing from certified seed producers, transportation and delivery logistics, import duties where applicable, and capacity building through training and follow-up support. 

Early Generation Seeds of these yam varieties are available from the following sources:

  • Nigeria:

    • Da Allgreen Seed – Engr. Yakubu Ata | 📞 +234 802 843 3820 | ✉️ yakubuatar@yahoo.co
    • Nwabudo Seed – Christopher Nwanevu, Umuahia, Abia State | 📞 +234 803 393 8006 | ✉️ nwabudoagro@gmail.com

     

  • Ghana:
    • Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), Nyankpala via Tamale – Dr. Kwabena Darkwa | 📞 +233 242 076 57 | ✉️ kwabenadarkwa@gmail.com
  • Benin:
    • University of Abomey-Calavi, Dassa Campus – Prof. Alexander Dansi | 📞 +229 01 54 95 696 | ✉️ adansi2001@gmail.com
  • Côte d’Ivoire:
    • CNRA (Centre National de Recherche Agronomique), Bouaké – Dr. Dibi Konan | 📞 +225 08 91 74 74 | ✉️ dibikonan@yahoo.fr

For best results, combine adoption of improved yam varieties with sustainable practices such as integrated soil fertility management, mulching, and pest control methods. This integrated approach increases productivity and environmental sustainability.

Implementing partners could collaborate with IITA, national agricultural research institutes, seed multiplication companies, women’s groups, and youth organizations to ensure inclusive access and successful adoption.

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Read more about scaling readiness ›

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 9 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: validated

Level of use 7 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Positive impact 9

Target groups Positive impacts
Youth with low literacy in rural area
  • Early maturity and higher yields offer faster income generation, motivating youth adoption.
  • Affordable seed multiplication (minisett, SAH, vine cuttings) lowers entry barriers for youth with limited capital.
  • Climate resilience reduces failure risk, encouraging sustained youth engagement.
Women smalholder famer with limited land access
  • Pest and disease resistance lowers need for chemical inputs, reducing cost and labor burdens for women.
  • Better storability and uniform tuber quality support food security and small-scale marketing activities.
  • Compatibility of improved varieties with minisett and vine cuttings improves affordable seed access.
Older farmers with low income in climate vulnerable area
  • Climate-smart breeding stabilizes yields for older farmers facing harsher conditions.
  • Early maturity enables faster turnover on limited land, improving food and income security.
  • Reduced pest/disease losses cut input costs and labor demands.

Unintended impact 9

Target groups Unintended impacts Mitigation measures
Youth with low literacy in rural area
  • Difficulty understanding new agronomic practices due to low literacy could reduce correct adoption.
  • If youth lack strong market connections, faster harvest cycles may not translate into income.
  • Potential overreliance on external seed sources if local seed systems aren’t strengthened.
  • Develop and disseminate farmer-friendly, pictorial, and demonstration-based training materials to overcome literacy challenges.
  • Strengthen youth market linkages through cooperatives, digital platforms, and contract farming to ensure faster harvests translate to income.
  • Promote local seed multiplication groups to avoid overreliance on external seed sources.
Women smalholder famer with limited land access
  • Without gender-inclusive programs, men may appropriate benefits such as income from sales.
  • Increased production might increase women’s workload without labor-saving supports.
  • Limited decision-making power over land and income could restrict adoption benefits.
  • Design gender-sensitive programs that empower women’s control over income from yam sales.
  • Introduce labor-saving technologies and practices alongside adoption to reduce workload burdens.
  • Conduct sensitization campaigns to challenge restrictive gender norms limiting women’s participation in training and decision making.
Older farmers with low income in climate vulnerable area
  • Resistance to change from traditional landraces may delay adoption.
  • Labor-intensive seed multiplication or staking could be difficult physically.
  • Dependence on purchased seed if unable to recycle traditional planting material.
  • Use peer farmer champions and participatory demonstration plots to build trust and reduce hesitation to change from traditional varieties.
  • Introduce mechanization options or labor-sharing groups to ease physical labor demands of staking and seed multiplication.
  • Promote seed-saving techniques compatible with improved varieties to limit dependence on purchased seed.

Barriers 9

Target groups Barriers to adoption Mitigation measures
Youth with low literacy in rural area
  • Limited access to training and extension tailored for low-literacy youth.
  • Poor rural infrastructure and market access restricting sale of increased yields.
  • Credit constraints hindering purchase of improved seed and inputs.
  • Facilitate access to youth-targeted credit or input subsidy schemes for purchasing seed and inputs.
  • Establish mobile or community-based extension services adapted for rural youth.
  • Improve rural infrastructure and transport access through local government partnerships.
Women smalholder famer with limited land access
  • Restricted control over land and capital limits women’s ability to invest in improved varieties.
  • Social norms may limit training participation or extension access for women.
  • Seed multiplication and market access may not reach women due to mobility or social constraints.
  • Support women’s land rights and access to microcredit through policy advocacy and community programs.
  • Deliver training and extension through women-only groups and female extension agents.
  • Facilitate women’s group-based seed multiplication and collective marketing initiatives to improve scale and access.
Older farmers with low income in climate vulnerable area
  • Low income limits purchase of improved seed or inputs.
  • Limited exposure to innovations due to low mobility or literacy.
  • Climate shocks can still affect production without complementary supports.
  • Provide subsidized seeds, inputs, or matching grants targeted at low-income older farmers.
  • Tailor extension methods using local languages, radio, and simple demonstrations to overcome literacy and mobility challenges.
  • Link improved yam adoption to broader social protection and climate adaptation programs to enhance resilience.

Tested & adopted
Adopted
Tested
Testing ongoing
Egypt Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burundi Burkina Faso Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Côte d’Ivoire Eritrea Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Cameroon Kenya Libya Liberia Madagascar Mali Malawi Morocco Mauritania Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Zambia Senegal Sierra Leone Zimbabwe Somalia South Sudan Sudan South Africa Eswatini Tanzania Togo Tunisia Chad Uganda Western Sahara Central African Republic Lesotho
Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country Testing ongoing Tested Adopted
Benin – –
Côte d’Ivoire –
Democratic Republic of the Congo – –
Ethiopia – –
Ghana –
Madagascar – –
Nigeria –
Sierra Leone – –
Uganda – –

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ Subtropic - warm Subtropic - cool Tropic - warm Tropic - cool
Arid – – – –
Semiarid – – – –
Subhumid – – –
Humid – – –

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Sustainable Development Goal 1: no poverty
Goal 1: no poverty

Improved yam varieties increase yields and income for smallholder farmers, addressing rural poverty and economic vulnerability by providing higher food and market productivity.
Sustainable Development Goal 2: zero hunger
Goal 2: zero hunger

These varieties enhance food security by producing more yam food faster (early maturity) with better resistance to pests, diseases, and climate stresses, contributing to sustainable and diversified diets.
Sustainable Development Goal 13: climate action
Goal 13: climate action

Climate-smart breeding traits help farmers adapt to climate change, improve resilience to drought and low soil fertility, and reduce deforestation pressure through sustainable intensification.
Sustainable Development Goal 15: life on land
Goal 15: life on land

Sustainable yam production with improved varieties and integrated soil fertility management reduces land degradation and promotes biodiversity conservation in yam farming landscapes.

1- Source Clean Planting Material

  • Always obtain seed yams from certified seed producers, research institutes, or accredited multipliers.
  • Avoid purchasing seed yams from open markets to reduce the risk of disease contamination.

2- Adopt Proper Seed Multiplication Technologies

  • Use minisett technology (cutting 25–50 g setts from ware tubers) to quickly multiply seed yams.
  • Where available, apply aeroponics or semi-autotrophic hydroponics (SAH) to produce disease-free planting materials.
  • Vine cuttings are also an effective method for rapid multiplication.

3- Plant at Recommended Spacing

  • Use a spacing of 1 m × 0.25–0.3 m when planting minisetts (approximately 40,000 plants per hectare).
  • This spacing promotes good canopy cover, reduces weed pressure, and supports higher yields.

4- Provide Good Field Management

  • Stake plants using either single stakes or trellis systems to support healthy vine growth.
  • Regularly weed fields to minimize competition for nutrients and water.
  • Apply organic or inorganic fertilizers following soil fertility recommendations (e.g., NPK at 400–600 kg/ha).

5- Harvest at the Right Time

  • Harvest improved yam varieties as soon as they mature, typically after 7–8 months.
  • Timely harvesting prevents losses due to rot or theft.

6- Storage and Marketing Tips

  • Cure yams after harvest to reduce storage rot.
  • Store yams in well-ventilated barns or improved storage facilities.
  • Aim to sell yams during peak demand periods to maximize prices.

Last updated on 3 November 2025

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
 Pelemo Olugboyega
Commodities
Yam
Sustainable Development Goals Details ›
Sustainable Development Goal 1: no poverty
Sustainable Development Goal 2: zero hunger
Sustainable Development Goal 13: climate action
Sustainable Development Goal 15: life on land
+ 1 more
Category
Improved varieties
Subcategory
Disease resistance Yield improvement Quality improvement Drought tolerance
Value chain step
Pre-production
Solution
Yield Improvement quality improvement
Best used with

Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics for yam multiplication

Tested/adopted in Details ›
Tested & adopted
Adopted
Tested
Testing ongoing
Where it can be used Details ›

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones.

Target groups
Farmers Seed companies Researcher center Advisory and Extension Services
QR code

Climate-Smart and Market-Preferred Yam Varieties

https://e-catalogs.taat-africa.org/gov/technologies/climate-smart-and-market-preferred-yam-varieties

Last updated on 3 November 2025, printed on 3 November 2025

Enquiries e-catalogs@taat.africa