Dataset and scripts

Yam is a critical staple and income source in tropical regions, such as Uganda. Under modern demand-led breeding, new varieties must meet end-user needs, making it essential to identify which traits farmers value the most. In Uganda, data on yam production systems, farmer typologies, and trait preferences remain scarce. This knowledge gap hampers the development and adoption of improved varieties because breeders lack clear targets aligned with farmers’ needs. To address this gap, this study characterized yam farming systems and farmer typologies in Uganda and identified farmers’ priority traits to provide demand-side insights to guide breeding programs toward developing end-user-preferred, locally adapted varieties. A participatory survey of 540 smallholder yam farmers across six districts (covering three agro-ecological zones) captured data on their production practices, constraints, and trait preferences. Trait priorities were elicited using a 1000minds conjoint analysis of the Potentially All Pairwise Ranking of All Possible Alternatives (PAPRIKA) algorithm, which presents farmers with pairwise trait trade-offs to rank their preferences. White yam was the predominant species grown. The main production constraints included a lack of quality planting materials (~40% of the respondents) and limited access to improved varieties (~26%). Farmers selected high yield as their top trait priority (73% of respondents), followed by tuber mealiness (42%), canopy vigor (29%), disease resistance (26%), and long shelf life (25%). The conjoint analysis confirmed strong preferences for high dry matter content (contributing to mealiness), shorter time to maturity, extended storability (long shelf-life), high total crop value, attractive tuber flesh color, and high fresh yield. These findings provide valuable insights into yam utilization, production constraints, and farmers’ trait preferences, which can inform yam improvement. Breeding programs should integrate farmers’ preferred traits and address seed system constraints to ensure the adoption of new varieties. Aligning breeding objectives with end-user needs, preferences, and on-farm realities will boost the adoption of improved yams, increase productivity, and enhance food security and farmers’ livelihoods.