The study analysed the extent of vulnerability to food insecurity and household coping mechanisms among yam farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Cross-sectional data were used for this study with the aid of a well-designed questionnaire. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 360 respondents. Multinomial logit (MNL) model and Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) method were employed for the data analysis. The results of the FGLS model showed that 49.3% of the households were food secure and experienced low vulnerability to food insecurity. However, 30.23% of them were food insecure and highly vulnerable; they are considered as chronically food-insecure households. Also, the study revealed that 11.01% of the food secure households may be food insecure in the future if necessary attention and intervention are not given by both households and the government. Again, 9.4% of the households that were experiencing food shortage, as at the time of the study, may recover in the future. The findings of MNL revealed that the age of the household head, main occupation, household size, land size, net household income, and membership in a cooperative society were the main significant factors in yam farming households' decision to use coping strategies. As a result, it is recommended that leveraging the potential role of coping mechanisms already used by households during food shortages, and building a comprehensive human capital development, such as education, will be vital policy options to reduce food insecurity.

Yam (Dioscorea spp) occupies an important place in the diet of the populations of Côte d’Ivoire. It is a real source of starch and therefore generates enormous commercial potential. However, the decrease in production due to pest attacks represents a real threat to this crop. This study was conducted with the aim of improving yam production in Côte d’Ivoire. To do so, isolations carried out on yam leaves showing symptoms of foliar diseases have allowed us to identify 9 fungal genera. These were Colletotrichum sp., Fusarium sp., Pestalotiopsis sp., Pestalotia sp., Botryodiplodia sp., Aspergillus sp., Mucor sp., Curvularia sp. and Phytophtora sp. Among these fungi, the genus Colletotrichum sp. was the most isolated with a rate of 56% followed by the Fusarium and Pestalotia genera (8%). Pathogenicity tests performed on healthy leaves of two yam varieties revealed that the Dioscorea alata is more susceptible to fungi compared to Dioscorea rotundata. The largest average diameter of necrosis was caused by Pestalotiopsis sp. (5.97 cm) on the Dioscorea alata variety while the smallest was caused by Colletotrichum sp.9 on Dioscorea rotundata (0.5 cm). Combatting these fungi need to be developed for effective management of leaf diseases of yam in Côte d’Ivoire.