6. scarce investment funds, and
 7. crop protection problems including abundant weeds.
 Consequently, the prevailing complex and mixed farming
 systems are regarded as mechanisms of risk reduction. Crops such
 as banana, citrus, coconut and to a lesser extent bay, which have
 relatively more organized markets, constitute the dominant
 enterprises in the farming systems (Table I). In addition, small
 livestock, a few beef and milk cattle, root crops, tuber crops,
 vegetables and fruit crops are present in the farming systems to
 provide on-farm food. Small surpluses are sold at the local
 markets and small quantities to regional and extra-regional
 markets. Green bananas and dasheen, which are ubiquitous,
 form the main staple foods and are augmented by other staples
 such as tannia, yams, plantains, sweet potatoes, cassava and ar-
 rowroot starch.
 The most commonly cultivated crops, as shown on the survey
 of 120 famus by Henderson and Gomes (1979), are shown in
 Table 1.
 Table 1. and the results of our survey indicate that banana-
 based farming systems are the single most important factor in-
 fluencing the income and production of Dominican small
 farmers.

 Yams in the Small Farm Systems of Dominica
 Traditionally, on the majority (80%) of small farms, about a
 dozen yams are grown for home consumption. In addition some
 farmers harvest "Babaoule" yam from roadsides and forested

TABLE 1. The most commonly cultivated crops and their frequency of occurrence
on 120 small farms in Dominica.




 | Farms on which grown
 Crops Number Per Cent
 Banana 102 85.0
 Plantain 46 38.3

 Root Crops
 Dasheen 96 80.0
 Tannia 77 64.2
 Sweet Potato 16 13.3
 Cassava 12 10.0

 Yam 35 29.2
 Ginger 5 4.2

 Tree Crops
 Coconuts 52 43.3
 Cocoa 30- 25.0
 Coffee 20 16.7
 Avocado 7 5.8
 Bay 18 15.0
 Citrus 34 28.3
 Breadfruit 17 14.2
 Mangoes 11 9.2

 Vegetables
 Cucurbits 11 9.2
 Tomatoes 6 5.0
 Cabbage 4 3.3
 Carrots 7 5.8
 Pigeon Peas 5 4.2


 *Henderson & Gomes (1979)


areas. However, the farms which grow yams commercially are
fewer in number and possibly less than reflected by the data in
Table 1. Of the 29% of the small farms which produce yams for
the local and export markets, most of them plant on sloping ter-
rain, on elaborately formed mounds 38 60cm high, 90 150cm
apart, and invariably intercropped with one or more of the
following: cucurbits, dasheen, tannia, pigeon peas, banana,
plantains or corn (CARDI Annual Report, 1981). In some in-
stances the intercrops are harvested before the yam vines cover the
ground, thus leaving the yams to remain in pure stands.
 Yam production technology is generally low; the "overworked"
soil is formed into mounds. Stakes Im 2m high are used and the
mixed "banana" fertilizer (NPK + 4MgO) is usually banded on
the surface, around the plant, and left exposed to the heavy
rains. Liberal use is made of wood ashes with some farmers using
pen manure where available. Limited use is made of straw and
other coarse organic matter as a soil ameliorant. Few farmers
specialise in a single cultivar, thus many cultivars and different
species are found in a single plot. The four main species are D.
alata, D. rotundata, D. cayenensis (Ladies yam), and D. trifida
(Cush-cush), with the latter two the most popular species.
Nematodes, viruses and anthracnose were observed as serious
diseases and pests on yam farms (Fergusson, 1981). No measures
to combat them were observed. Planting material was carried over
from crop to crop, and this, coupled with limited crop rotation,
permitted a steady build-up of pests. This is especially so for
viruses and nematodes.
 Planting of yams is usually spread from January to as late as
June, peaking in March, April and May, with harvesting from
October through February. Incomplete and repeated harvests
("castrations") are practised for home consumption; complete
harvests are usually done only for the market. Storage is practised
mainly in cool, well ventilated spaces, and to a lesser extent in the
mounds on the vines.
 The estimated volume of production of root crops in 1983 is
given in Table 2.
 The local market prices of yams for 1983 ranged from $1.20/kg
- $2.86/kg, fluctuating with the cultivar and season. (Market In-
telligence Unit, Ministry of Agriculture, 1984). For dasheen and
tannia the range over the same period was $0.84/kg $1.44/kg
and $1.50/kg $2.50/kg, respectively.

A Case Study of a Commercial Yam Farm
 Ths farm, located in the southeast of the Island, was primarily
a banana-based farming system (1.4ha of banana providing 70%
of the farm income). Yams, dasheen, cinnamon and mixed
vegetables were also produced on a commercial scale. Yams were
grown on 0.1ha (/4 acre) with about 1000 mounds providing
20% of the total farm income and 10% of the total quantity of

TABLE 2. Estimated production of tuber and root crops in Dominica for 1983
(Thomas, [1984] MINAG/CARDI/EDF Roseau, Dominica).



 Crop 1983 Production (tons)


 Dasheen 10,700

 Tannia 6,250

 Yam 3,600

 Sweet Potato 1,300


VOL. XX-PROCEEDINGS of the CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY


Cassava 700


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