AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISATION OF UNDERGROWTH YAM (DIOSCOREA SP.,) FARMS IN COTE DIVOIRE

Yam, the staplefood of the Ivorian people, is the leadingfoodcrop in Cote dIvoire. Today, with the expansion of perennialcrops, especially rubber, yamsface the problem of a scarcity of arable land, whichthreatensfoodsecurity. To solve thisproblem, farmers are increasinglygrowingundergrowingyams as part of theirperennialcrops. This studyaims to characterize understory yam production systems in Cote dIvoire. To do this, data wascollectedfrom 127 understory yam producers in four main perennialcropregions (Centre/Centre-East, East, West and South-West). The studyshowedthat the main systemspractised are the association of yamswithcocoatrees (54%) and cashew trees (28%). The averageage of the treesis 20.13 years for cocoa and 12.85 years for cashew. White Cocoassie, Red Cocoassie, Yellow Cocoassie and Bolodja are the undergrowth yam varietiesgrown. Most of theseundergrowingyams are grown on gravellysoils on plateaux. The density of yam associations varies greatlydepending on the system. Thesesystemsneed to beimproved to increase yam yields and contribute to foodsecurity.