Prof. Morufat Balogun, Principal Investigator of the Youth4Climate initiative, says the project now targets seed yam production reaching 200,000 units capable of yielding 200 tonnes of food yams.
This push, driven by yam farming technology, operates under the Seed Yam Production and Entrepreneurship programme (SEYEP) to rebuild regional agricultural supply chains through youth-led enterprises.
Prof. Balogun disclosed the ambitious target on Wednesday at the close of a three-day hybrid training workshop in Ibadan. The Youth4Climate initiative itself sits within the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology at the University of Ibadan’s Agriculture faculty.
How Youth4Climate Drives Seed Yam Production
Supported by the AbdulKabir Ali Foundation, the project brings advanced research out of academic labs and places it into the hands of young farmers.
“42 youths have so far participated in the training in two cycles, with 15 in the first cycle and 27 in the second,” Balogun noted.
“Each participant is expected to establish seed-yam production on at least 20 square metres, capable of producing about 2,000 seed units. If we multiply 2,000 by 40, that gives us 200,000 seed units,” the principal investigator said.
Balogun explained that these seed units, when cultivated as food yam at an average yield of one kilogramme per unit, translate directly to 200 tonnes of market-ready produce. She added that trainees showed deep enthusiasm throughout the session by asking sharp questions, providing practical feedback, and proposing fresh digital solutions for field application.
Scaling Yam Farming Technology Across Local Communities
Participants gained hands-on experience with modern propagation models designed to replace old, costly farming techniques.
One participant, Ms Chidinma Okorie, said the training exposed her to breeder, foundation, and certified seed classes alongside the practical steps to grow them. Okorie, a master’s graduate from the department, plans to take these methods straight to farmers in her home town.
“The training has also introduced me to vegetative propagation through leaves, vines and mini-tubers as alternatives to conventional propagation with cut yam sets,” she said.
University of Ibadan Agriculture Experts Back Clean Seed Propagation
Dr Olufisayo Kolade, a lecturer and workshop facilitator, urged young people to treat seed cultivation as a low-capital, high-yield business opportunity.
Kolade said, “The technology could enable a single leaf to produce between 1,000 and 10,000 mini-tubers, thereby increasing the multiplication rate of planting materials.”
He clarified that the methods taught are entirely natural: “The propagation technology being promoted is not genetically modified, but a natural method of multiplying yam planting materials.”
He urged the graduating cohort to spread their new skills wide, driving rapid adoption of improved techniques across regional farming clusters.
