YAM PRODUCTION AND IT IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE OF MBAYION COMMUNITY IN GBOKO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE, 1980-2015.

ABSTRACT Agriculture has played a prominent role in the production of both food and cash crop to the Nigerian people. The economic growth of any Nation is basically anchored on the capacity of its agricultural production. Yam is one of the most paramount plants of the tropics, where it is adapted to diverse environmental conditions and farming system, yam as a major stapled food crop to humanity provides the greater amount of energy required by man, the imperative of yam is increasing in Africa because of its diverse uses as food as well as raw materials for the production of Alcohol, pharmaceuticals, starch, distilling, yam flour, fertilizer manufacture among others. The study adopts both primary and secondary sources of data collection. The primary data adopted include, interviews while secondary data is relied on text books, journals and articles. Yam has played an important role in the lives of the citizens in Benue state since it’s provide the most easier types of food for human consumption. This research on the production of yam in Mbayion community in Gboko Local Government area of Benue state from 1980-2015 intends to finds out the origin of yam, find explanations to its impact on the people of Mbayion community in Gboko area, also to enumerate the socio-economic benefits behind yam production as well as inherent difficulties associated with its cultivation and processing to finish products.