Complementarity between Geographical and Social Patterns in the Preservation of Yam (Dioscorea sp.) Diversity in Northern Benin

Farmer’s Knowledge and Perception of Diversified Farming Systems in Sub-Humid and Semi-Arid Areas in Benin

“…Our results also highlighted the impact of sociolinguistic membership in the valuation NTFPs species (of which many are agroforestry species) [37,40,[52][53][54]. However, not only cultural differences, but also environmental conditions, such as geographical contexts, might play a role in the use and the valuation of plant species by local communities [24,28,47]. The similarity exhibited between the Ditamari and M'Bermé may be explained by the fact that these two sociolinguistic groups have high linguistic and cultural affinities.…”

“…The main sociolinguistic groups are Bariba, Yoruba and Fon and related sociolinguistic groups [22]. Otamari and Yom-Lokpa and sociolinguistic ethnics groups, two sociolinguistic groups forming the principal actors of migratory dynamics in Benin [24], are found in the Sudano-Guinean region. Fulani herders are also found in the Sudano-Guinean region because of their nomadic pastoralist lifestyle.…”

Dioscorea

“…Hildebrand (2003) also reported a similar kind of domestication process in southwestern Ethiopia where several wild yams have been brought under cultivation. In addition, Baco et al (2007) hypothesized that high level of diversity of yam varieties exist in West Africa and this is more related to farmers' ethnic group. This practice differs from one ethnic group to another within a given area, but remains constant for a given ethnic group independent of its geographical location.…”

New microsatellite loci for water yam (Dioscorea alata, Dioscoreaceae) and cross‐amplification for other Dioscorea species

“…Ethnobotanical studies held in local traditional communities in Africa revealed the great applicability of D. alata leaves in reducing fever and other health problems (Aiyeloja and Bello, 2006). Consequently, farmers in some countries are reporting the disappearance of many cultivars, and this leads to signifi cant genetic erosion ( Baco et al, 2007 ).Only a few microsatellite markers have been developed so far for D. alata , as well as for other Dioscorea species ( Tostain et al, 2006, Hochu et al, 2006. Despite its cultural and economic importance in Brazil and other tropical countries, yam has been poorly investigated.…”