The availability and accessibility of high quality seed yam of improved varieties are the focus of a new US$12
million project aimed at revolutionizing the yam production system. This is intended to transform the formal seed systems in Ghana and Nigeria, Africa’s
largest exporter and largest producer of yam, respectively.

The flagship yam project, Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA), will embark on a second phase to boost the production of certified seed yam and improve smallholder farmers’ access to high quality seed yam for improved productivity, income, and food security.

YIIFSWA-II, a five-year project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,will be led by IITA in collaboration with Context Global Development Network/Sahel Capital, and the governments of Ghana and Nigeria targeting the private seed sector. The aim is to provide smallholder farmers with high quality seed tubers of improved varieties that have been released, for example, TDr 89/2665, which farmers have dubbed as
“the Wonder Yam” in Nigeria due to its high yield and resistance to diseases.