Felix Akech

Migori farmer Clinton Owuor has found a way to double up his yam income, by using the yam leaves as vegetables, even as he earns Sh90,000 a season from ¼ acre by selling the roots.

“Most people here believe yam is only for the tuber, but the leaves are very good vegetables. We cook them like sukuma wiki, and my children love the taste. Now we don’t struggle to buy greens every day,.” said Clinton.

Before starting with yam three years ago, Clinton, based in Odienya village, Rongo sub-county, used to grow maize and beans. But the yields were unpredictable and rising input costs, pests, and changing rainfall left him with food shortages. Even when maize grew, vegetables were often missing from his meals.

“Sometimes, I would harvest maize but still lack vegetables. Buying from the market was expensive, and on some days, we ate plain ugali,” he recalls.

Yam farming came with its own challenges too. Diseases such as anthracnose attacked the leaves, while yam mosaic virus stunted growth. “When the leaves are sick, even the roots underground don’t grow well,” he said.

Clinton decided not to give up. He sought advice from fellow farmers and agricultural officers in Rongo. He learned to rotate yam with cassava and maize, to avoid replanting on the same spot, and to use farmyard manure for stronger plants.

He also changed how he managed the vines. Instead of letting them creep on the ground, he used wooden stakes, which allowed the plants to climb, get more sunlight, and resist disease.

“Once I started staking and removing diseased leaves early, the plants became healthier. I realized yam is a crop that rewards you if you care for it,” Clinton says with a smile.

Last season, from his quarter acre, Clinton harvested seven 90kg bags of yam tubers. At the local Rongo market, he sold them at KSh 150 per kilo, earning over KSh 90,000 in total. At the same time, his family harvested yam leaves every week for home consumption.

“The leaves have saved me almost KSh 2,000 a month that I used to spend on vegetables,” he said. “And unlike cabbage or sukuma, yam leaves are always there even during dry months.”

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For his children, yam has brought better nutrition. “They used to dislike ugali with plain beans, but when I add yam leaves, they like it,” he said.

Clinton’s experience is also inspiring other farmers in Odienya village to rethink yam. 

Science has found the vine leaves boost immunity and help eyesight, muscles and growth, when eaten as vegetables.

“If more farmers plant yam, we can even supply hotels and schools with fresh leaves and tubers,” said Clinton. “This is a crop that has been ignored for long, but it has the power to fight hunger here in Migori.”

Clinton is now experimenting with new yam varieties resistant to disease and hopes to start packaging dried yam leaves for sale.

“My dream is to make yam a household crop in Migori,” he concludes. “With yam, no family should go hungry.”