A wild yam farmer of Eastern Malo in Vanuatu has revealed his latest project ‘Auta Green Food Security’ to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).
“Auta Green Food Security, is the name given to this project. I chose this name because these yams grow well among green trees and the forest environment so this area will be kept in its natural state for a long time. This area will be as green as you are observing today for the next 20 to 50 years,” said farmer Dehi Sawa
Wild yam is a climate resilient root crop that most people in rural Vanuatu depend on, especially during disasters.
Mr Sawa said he commenced the project in 2015 planting mainly two wild yam varieties (lesulesu and manjau).
“Due to shortage of planting materials, matured yams were harvested up to now purposely for replanting to extend the project in terms of quantity established,” he said.
“Lesulesu (wild yam) is a local crop planted that has been cultivated through older generations and preserved mainly for extreme hot or dry seasons and also in times of natural disasters like cyclones.
“That is why I strongly believe that such projects will assist my families to still have food as today we tend to face a lot of natural disasters.” Mr Sawa added.
“The main purpose of this project is to do mass production to earn income for my family. It has become normal these days that most children seem to demand money from their parents every week.
“So, I planned to cultivate wild yams aiming for five hectares. Currently I have planted three and a half hectares and with 700 mounds just planted two months ago as of December last year, I am aiming to increase production to over 3,000 yams.
“My aim is that in the future when I grow old and having no one around to assist me, I will still be able to harvest and sell yams to any interested person or farmer for income.
“There are two local varieties of wild yams, lesulesu and manjau. These wild yams grow well with the existing forest ecosystem and as such contributes to minimal forest disturbance.”
Mr Sawa has many plans to implement such as mass production of popular Malo yam, Marou, cocoa project and mass production of king yam, but realises that these projects will lead to huge bush clearing so he decided to invest in wild yams without destroying the forest.
Director Antoine Ravo reiterated that DARD’s food security programme encourages farmers to increase production of local food through mechanization or the use of tractors but Mr Sawa’s approach will be highly appealing to forest conservationists.
“The team is amazed to see how you (farmer) have initiated this wild yam project,” he said.
“This is a classic example of climate smart agriculture that is very resilient and well adapted to any weather conditions. It even attempts to keep the ecosystem as intact as possible.
“You have actually highlighted an underdeveloped farming system that other farmers can adopt by growing wild yams under trees, minimizing disturbances to the forest ecosystem while at the same time ensuring that food security and income needs of a household are taken care of,” Mr Ravo said.
Photo supplied Caption: Agriculture team at Dehi Sawa’s yam project