P A G E 8
V O L . 4 , N O . 2
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Yam and Taro Trainings
by Charlie Welch
SAVA Conservation continues to support the cultivation of yams (
Dioscorea
sp.) and taro
(
Colocasia
sp.) as alternative crops to slash and burn rice and manioc. In November Joxe facili-
tated another training, in the Marovato Andapa Commune, which includes 5 villages. The
training was over three days and included both classroom and field instruction, and was
attended by 29 villagers. The yams are best adapted for slopes and drier soils, and can be quite
large, maturing at 20lbs to 40lbs. Taro can be grown in wet and even flooded conditions, and
produces an edible root or corm. It is the same plant that we in the US know as elephant ears,
which is planted as an ornamental. Training and assistance in alternative crop production is an
important component of conservation, where unsustainable subsistence techniques, such as
slash and burn, are being used.
Preparing for planting.
Plantation of yaro.
A harvested yam.
