ISHS Acta Horticulturae 380: Symposium on Tropical Root Crops in a Developping Economy
THE ECONOMICS OF YAM (DIOSCOREA SPP.) PRODUCTION IN CAMEROON: THE CASE OF FAKO DIVISION |
| Authors: | E.T. Acquah, Nganje W. Evange |
| Abstract:
Efforts made by research to increase agricultural production and productivity are greatly hindered by the lack of a clear understanding of the specific needs of the farmers, their local problems, and conditions under which they operate. The paper discusses the traditional yam production systems in Fako and the financial self-sufficiency of the yam firm. A cross-sectional primary data from formal survey of 69 yam farmers was collected for the analysis. Descriptive and viability analyses enabled the documentation of important findings on: the different production systems; the distribution of the yam output; the high cost of yam setts, and the economic profitability of the system. About 97% of the yams are transported by head porterage from the farm to the house and 85% by hired vehicles from the house to the markets. The average yam farm size is 0.43 ha with a range of 1 to 5 fragmented fields. The bulk of the labor (91%) comes from the farm household. The paper reveals that, yam production in Fako division is economically viable but to undertake this activity, it requires a huge amount of initial up-front capital which very few of the small farmers can afford. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
