Living Plant Supports Transform Yam Farming in West Africa
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📰 The quick summary: New sustainable farming methods using living plants as yam supports help protect forests while improving soil health and providing additional income for farmers.
📈 One key stat: Nearly 90 million metric tons of yam were produced globally in 2023, with traditional growing methods requiring up to 200 trees to be cut per acre of farmland for support sticks.
💬 One key quote: “The yam is a climber, it has to climb to expose its leaves to the sunlight,” says Eric Owusu Danquah, a research scientist at Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
1️⃣ The big picture: Scientists are revolutionizing yam farming by replacing traditional wooden support sticks with living plants like pigeon pea and bitter damsel trees. This shift addresses a major cause of deforestation in key yam-producing regions across West Africa and the Caribbean. The traditional method requires cutting forest trees for support sticks that only last two growing seasons. Living supports not only protect forests but also enrich soil nutrients and provide additional benefits like edible grains for farmers.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Living yam supports offer multiple benefits beyond forest protection. Plants like pigeon pea naturally fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for expensive fertilizers. Farmers gain extra income from harvesting the support plants’ edible grains. The system helps smallholder farmers who often struggle with input costs. Additionally, living supports continue sequestering carbon and their pruned material provides nutrient-rich mulch for crops.
3️⃣ What’s next: More funding is needed to train farmers and promote adoption of living yam supports in growing communities. Scientists recommend creating incentive programs to reward farmers who adopt these climate-smart practices. Research continues on developing new yam varieties that require less support, like dwarf cultivars that could enable mechanized farming. Success stories from early adopters will help convince more traditional farmers to embrace these sustainable methods.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – Farmers turn to living ‘yam sticks’ to grow their crop and spare the forest
