The yam is an important food crop, especially in the so-called ‘yam zone’ of West Africa: total world production is about 19 million tonnes per annum, some 70 per cent of it grown in Nigeria. Although regarded as mainly a source of carbohydrate, some species are nearly as rich in protein as rice or maize. The increasing acceptability of smaller tubers provides an opportunity for extending the area of cultivation but much more research is still needed on methods of propagation, disease control, and post-harvest storage.
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