This document summarizes activities from the 2015 growing season in Nigeria related to objectives 3.2 and 3.6. It reports on the number and type of demonstration plots established, participants trained, and achievements compared to targets. Key findings include that the number of plots established exceeded the target, with over 16,000 farmers trained. However, some plots in Idah were lost to flooding. Results varied by location and variety. Ugah yam is becoming more popular in Idah/Illushi, while Ameh is declining. Focus groups provided insights into differences between areas. Other activities included visits to Ghana and completing publications.

1. Report on activities 3.2 and 3.6 in Nigeria for the
2015 growing season
IITA, February 2016
Nora McNamara
MSHR, Nigeria and Ireland
Stephen Morse
University of Surrey, UK
Adamu Shuaibu
FCT MDGs Project Support Unit, Abuja,
Nigeria
Clement Agada, MSHR, Idah, Kogi State,
Nigeria
Gabriel Adah, Development and Biodiversity
Group, Amoke, Benue State Nigeria
1

2. Abuja
Agagbe
Idah
Ilushi
River Niger River Benue
Amoke
2

3. Number of demonstration plots (2015)
3
Core demonstrations of AYMT
No plots
Idah 30 (30)
Amoke 50 (50)
Tiv Land 8 (8)
Illushi 15 (18)
FCT 40 (40)
Entrepreneur sites
Idah 22 (20)
Amoke 12 (12)
Tiv Lamd 3 (3)
Seed to ware yam plots
Idah 30 (30)
Sett size
Idah 10 (10)
Amoke 10 (10)
Targeted number of plots = 200
Number of plots established = 230
Target number of plots in brackets

4. 4
(a) Idah Type of plot Numbers trained/demos Females Males
Entrepreneur 1553 648 905
Core demo 1593 805 788
Seed to ware yam 329 143 186
Sett size 289 138 151
(b) Illushi Type of plot Numbers trained/demos
Core demo 1246 700 546
(c) Idoma + Tiv
(Benue State)
Type of plot Numbers trained/demos
Entrepreneur 1486 651 835
Core demo 5414 2415 2999
Sett size 697 423 274
FCT Type of plots Numbers trained/demos
Core demo 4172 1476 2696
Totals 16,779 7,399 9,380
Participants trained for Objectives 3.2 and 3.6 in 2015

5. 5
Set targets in
2011/2012 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total
Number of demonstrations/year 15 15 15 15 15 75
Total number of farmers trained/year 3,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 27,000
Achievements 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total
Number of demonstrations/year 27 125 159 230 541
Total number of farmers trained/year 4,736 11,799 13,442 16,779 46,756
MSHR targets and achievements (Objectives 3.2 and 3.6)
Note: some of the participants may have attended a number of sessions, often
returning for clarification and making suggestions

6. Flooding in Idah (2015)
6
A number of plots were lost to flooding in the Idah/Illushi areas
in 2015 – but not as drastic as first feared!
 7 of the sett size demonstrations
 9 of the entrepreneur sites
 5 of the core demos

7. 7
Benue State (West)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Germinationrate(%)
Untreated
Treated
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Germinationrate(%)
Untreated
Treated
Idah and Illushi
Average
germination rate
(%)
Abuja
Agagbe
Idah
Ilushi
River Niger River Benue
Amoke

8. 8
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
Numberoftubers/settgerminated
Untreated
Treated
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
Numberoftubers/settgerminated
Untreated
Treated
Benue State (West) Idah and Illushi
Average number of
tubers per stand
(germinated)
Abuja
Agagbe
Idah
Ilushi
River Niger River Benue
Amoke

9. 9
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Tuberweight(kg)/settgerminated
Untreated
Treated
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Tuberweight(kg)/settgerminated
Untreated
Treated
Benue State (West) Idah and Illushi
Average weight of
tubers (kg) per
stand germinated
Abuja
Agagbe
Idah
Ilushi
River Niger River Benue
Amoke

10. Differences are probably a reflection of various factors:
1. Variety (Ameh in Benue West and Ugah in Idah/Illushi).
Ameh seems to be in decline while Ugah is on the rise.
2. Local environment. Idah/Illushi next to river while the
Benue West areas are more inland.
3. Idah staff/farmers have deeper experience with the AYMT
10

11. 11
The dynamics of yam varieties
A tale of two yams
2 varieties have been dominant in Benue: Ameh
and Amola (Imola)
Ameh planting material is cheaper than Amola
BUT Ameh is beginning to diminish in
popularity because of poorer storability and
taste.
One is on the decline!
Planting Ameh in Amoke,
Benue State

12. 12
The dynamics of yam varieties
A tale of two yams
Everyone in Idah/Illushi now seems to want
Ugah. HENCE it dominated in the core demos
of 2015
Ugah has good flavour, cooks faster, stores
well, smooth skin, fast germination, robust
tubers and drought resistant.
Traders coming from the East and West to buy
One is on the rise!
Harvesting of Ugah in Illushi,
Edo State

13. 13
R² = 0.25 P<0.001
R² = 0.29 P<0.001
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Tuberweight(kg)persettgerminated
Date of planting rank
Untreated
Treated
Late planting was an issue in 2015 ~ but a
research opportunity!
Benue West results for
2015. Yam tuber weight
per sett germinated ~
declines with later planting
Early
June
End
July

14. 14
Focus groups with Illushi and Onyedega yam
growers and traders (2015)
 6 focus groups held in 2015
One size does not fit all
Illushi very different to yam growing areas
in Kogi and Benue States
 Illushi farmers traditionally do not work
through groups
 In Illuishi, men engage in both ware and
seed yam while women only engage in seed
yam
 Women would like to produce a specific
number of seeds rather than employ a
notional plot size
Focus Group, February 2016

15. 15
Other activities
Visit of the Irish Trade Mission to Nigeria
 Sr Nora and Steve visited our CRS colleagues in Ghana to see how they
were managing the YIIFSWA and CAY-SEED activities and what lessons
could be learned for Nigeria
 Began work on a YIIFSWA working paper on seed yam entrepreneurship,
covering the first 4 years of the project. This will be the basis for a journal
paper to be submitted in late 2016.
 AYMT manual completed. Written in conjunction with Dr Beatrice.
 Publication of a second paper in the journal ‘Experimental Agriculture’,
this time on the sett-seed-ware yam agronomic results

16. 16
Visit of MSHR to Ghana
(November 2015)
Irish Minister for Agriculture and the Marine
– Mr. Simon Coveney
Nora, Steve and Daniel Amokachi (ex-footballer
now acts as an ambassador promoting food
security)

17. Thank you
Nora McNamara
Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary
Idah and Dublin
Email: nmn@mshr.ie
Stephen Morse
Centre for Environmental Strategy
University of Surrey
Guildford, Surrey, UK
Email: s.morse@surrey.ac.uk
Adamu Shuaibu
FCT MDGs Project Support Unit,
Abuja, Nigeria
Email: saubosharu@icloud.com
Clement Agada, MSHR, Idah, Kogi State,
Nigeria
Gabriel Adah, Development and Biodiversity
Group, Amoke, Benue State Nigeria
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for
their support. We also wish to acknowledge the support and
encouragement of the Director of the FCT-MDGs, Alhaji Ari Isa
Muhammad; the Focal person at the FCT-MDGs Alhaji Abubakar
Sani Pai; the Task Manager, Madam Nancy S. Nathan; the
Extension Workers in all six of Area councils of the FCT.
17