Progress in Research and Development on Yams (Dioscorea spp.) in Maluku Islands, Indonesia: Achievements and Challenges

Semuel Leunufna

doi:10.26717/bjstr.2020.29.004764

Abstract

Semuel Leunufna* Author Affiliations Faculty of Agriculture, Pattimura University Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia Received: July 20, 2020 | Published: July 29, 2020 Corresponding author: Semuel Leunufna, Faculty of Agriculture, Pattimura University Ambon, Center for the Conservasion of Maluku’s Biodiversity, Jl Ir M Putuhena. Kampus Poka, Ambon, 97233, Maluku, Indonesia DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2020.29.004764

Highlights

Maluku Islands, Indonesia possesses a great amount of natural resources including diversity of food crops
One dollar income per day per person used in calculating the poverty level is considered justifiable rather than using crop production or food availability which may be preferable for Maluku situation, since the definition used for all 34 provinces in Indonesia has to be the same to be validly comparing poverty level among each other, in addition to the fact that the money can be readily converted into other human needs such as education, health, recreation etc. (Ralahalu KA, former governor of Maluku Province, personal communication)
Yams species distributed within the temperate climatic region such as that of D. villosa L., D. balcanica Kosanin, D. caucasica Lipsky, mainly posses a rounded, woodier stem with small diameters in comparison to those distributed within the tropics, which posses slightly bigger and softer, with rounded, flat or angular-winged stems

Summary

Introduction

Maluku Islands, Indonesia possesses a great amount of natural resources including diversity of food crops. When the richness of Maluku Province is translated into statistical data of poverty level in Indonesia in recent years, the province rank among the bottom four poorest provinces out of 34 porvinces [1]. These facts indicate that there are matters to be explained between the facts or experiences of the maluku’s community and the statistical data provded by Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS). Diversification provides opportunity to develope and enlarge the role of various different food crops other than rice, potentially present in different parts of the country

Methods

Results

Conclusion