Aussie yams in the spotlight

A research project at the University of Queensland has aimed to promote the cultivation and use of a nutritious plant tuber. Fawale Samson Olumide, PhD candidate, is studying Australian yams, the edible roots of a climbing plant which were a vital food for First Nations peoples in rainforests along the east coast.

Olumide hopes to combine his knowledge of African yam species with what he can learn about species of Dioscorea in Australia.

Yams were an important part of Aboriginal culture before the introduction of a western diet. Olumide’s PhD project aims to bridge the gap between Indigenous knowledge and western science and report on the nutritional and health benefits of the bush tucker staple.

The Yidinji community in Far North Queensland is collaborating on this project, alongside community elder Professor Henrietta Marrie from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation.

“There is so much work we need to do to record Indigenous knowledge about the food and its use to pass on to our younger generations,” Marrie said.

Olumide said yams were of particular interest because of their likely health benefits. If similar to African and Asian yams, they may contain anti-diabetic properties and unique bioactive compounds.

“Where I grew up in Nigeria for instance, people eat yams for the health benefits, so we will study the tuber, the plant’s leaves and the peel,” Olumide said.

Once the nutritional qualities of the yams are established, Olumide will focus on cultivating them in partnership with Yidinji people. He hopes to increase the abundance of the plant as it is currently mostly found in the wild.

“I’m hoping my research will open new paths for Indigenous enterprise in yam production,” Olumide said.

“These findings will determine the potential use of yams, particularly their introduction into the culinary scene as a uniquely Australian ingredient and food.”