Nigeria's agri revolution

STAPLES: RESEARCHER INCREASES YIELDS BY 500% >>> Rethinking the way yams and cassava are grown is reaping rich rewards.

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Mercy Diebiru-Ojo’s ambitions are straightforward - increase Nigerian yam and cassava yields by 500%, fight hunger and raise her country's position on the agricultural value chain from a mere grower to a processor.

The first steps, at least, are already underway for the 44-year-old agronomist, who was awarded this year’s Africa Food Prize for her research on yams and cassava, both major food staples in Africa.

Traditionally, farmers in Nigeria which produces 70% of the world’s yams - replant chunks of yams and cassava from the previous year’s harvest to grow this year’s crop.

Gradually, the plants lose their resistance to diseases - a serious problem for food security in a country where 30 million people are not getting enough to eat, according to the UN's World Food Programme.

Diebiru-Ojo’s research involves growing the plants hydroponically in greenhouses where they are protected from disease.

Then, as they sprout, a portion is cut and planted in potted mineral-rich soil in the greenhouse.

Only later is it replanted in the fields outside.