Lack of good-quality planting materials has been identified as the most severe problem militating against increased agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and beyond. However, investment of research efforts and resources in addressing this menace will only be feasible and worthwhile if attendant economic gains are considerable. As a way of investigating the economic viability of yam investment, this research has been initiated to address problems confronting yam productivity in eight countries of SSA and beyond: Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, and Columbia. Research options developed were to be deployed and disseminated. Key technologies include the adaptive yam minisett technique (AYMT), varieties adapted to low soil fertility and drought, nematode-resistant cultivars (NRC), and crop management and postharvest practices (CMPP). This article aims at estimating the potential economic returns, the expected number of beneficiaries, and poverty reduction consequent to the adoption of technology options. Estimates show that the new land area that will be covered by the technologies in the eight countries will range between 770,000 ha and 1,000,000 ha with the highest quota accounted for by AYMT. The net present value will range between US$584 and US$1392 million and was highest for the NRC. The CMPP had the lowest benefit-cost ratio of 7.74. About 1,049,000 people would be moved out of poverty by these technologies by 2037 in the region. These technologies are less responsive to changes in cost than that in adoption rate. Therefore, the realization of the potential economic gains depends on the rate and extent of adoption of these technologies. Giving the knowledge-intensive nature of some of these interventions, capacity building of potential adopters will be critical to increasing the sustainability of the yam sector, thereby enhancing food security and reducing poverty.

中文翻译：

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撒哈拉以南非洲及其他地区山药研究投资的潜在回报

缺乏优质种植材料已被确定为阻碍撒哈拉以南非洲 (SSA) 及其他地区提高农业生产力的最严重问题。然而，只有在随之而来的经济收益可观的情况下，为解决这一威胁而进行的研究工作和资源投资才是可行和值得的。作为调查山药投资经济可行性的一种方式，这项研究已启动以解决 SSA 及其他八个国家/地区面临的山药生产力问题：尼日利亚、加纳、贝宁、多哥、科特迪瓦、巴布亚新几内亚、牙买加、和哥伦比亚。制定的研究方案将被部署和传播。关键技术包括适应性山药迷你技术（AYMT）、适应低肥力和干旱的品种、抗线虫栽培品种（NRC）、作物管理和收获后实践 (CMPP)。本文旨在估计采用技术方案后的潜在经济回报、预期受益人数和减贫。据估计，这八个国家的技术将覆盖的新土地面积将在 770,000 公顷到 1,000,000 公顷之间，其中 AYMT 占的配额最高。净现值将在 5.84 亿美元至 13.92 亿美元之间，是 NRC 最高的。CMPP 的收益成本比最低，为 7.74。到 2037 年，该地区约有 1,049,000 人将通过这些技术摆脱贫困。这些技术对成本变化的反应不如采用率变化。所以，潜在经济收益的实现取决于采用这些技术的速度和程度。鉴于其中一些干预措施的知识密集性，潜在采用者的能力建设对于提高山药部门的可持续性至关重要，从而增强粮食安全和减少贫困​​。