F to those of raw oats (see nutrition table). Among other similarities to oats, sorghum also contains no gluten, making it useful for Energy 1,377kJ gluten-free diets. (329kcal) In closing and by way of further example Carbohydrates72.1g of the power of the milling industry to Dietary fibre6.7g develop its nutritious feedstock grains I will Fat3.5g refer to two important underutilised African Protein 10.6g grains with which I am familiar due to my diplomatic position. Vitamins Teff has an attractive nutrition profile, being Thiamine (B1) 29%) 0.33mg high in dietary fibre and providing protein and Riboflavin (B2) (8%) 0.1mg calcium. It is similar to millet in cooking but Niacin (B3) (25%) 3.7mg the seed is much smaller and cooks faster, thus Pantothenic acid (B5) (8%) 0.4mg using less fuel. Teff was one of the earliest Vitamin B6 (34%) 0.44mg plants domesticated and is believed to have Folate (B9) (5%) 20μg originated in Ethiopia and Eritrea where it is an important food grain and less so in India Minerals and Australia. It is now raised in the US, Calcium (1%) 13mg in Idaho and Nevada. In addition to people Iron (26%) 3.4mg from traditional Teff-consuming countries, What is good about these crops Magnesium (46%) 165mg customers include those on gluten-restricted currently in danger of being bydiets. passed? Manganese (76%) 1.6mg Ethiopia had a long-standing ban in effect From a farming point of view – which Phosphorus (41%) 289mg on the export of Teff grain or flour from is the most important view currently for Potassium (8%) 363mg the country prompted by increasing grain developing continents like Africa - Millet Sodium (0%) 2mg prices. In 2015, that ban was lifted after the is favoured due to its productivity and short Zinc (18%) 1.7mg introduction of farming techniques which growing season under dry, high-temperature improved yields by 40 percent. This gives conditions. Millets have been important food staples in human history, particularly in Asia and Africa. They have an idea of the potential of this grain. It is also known as an 'emergency crop' because it is planted late in the spring when the been in cultivation in East Asia for the last 10,000 years. growing season is warmer, and most other crops have already Pearl millet is one of the two major crops in the semi-arid, been planted. Over 20 years ago the US National Research impoverished, less fertile agriculture regions of Africa and Council characterised Teff as having the “potential to improve Southeast Asia. Millets are not only adapted to poor, droughty, nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and and infertile soils, but they are also more reliable under these support sustainable land care.” conditions than most other grain crops. Fonio is a staple crop in West Africa which has continued to This has, in part, made millet production popular, particularly be important because it is both nutritious and one of the world’s as in countries surrounding the Sahara Desert in western Africa. Millets, however, do respond to high fertility and moisture and on fastest-growing cereals, reaching maturity in as little as six to eight a per hectare basis, millet grain produced can be two to four times weeks. It is a crop that can be relied on in semi-arid areas with poor soils, where rains are brief and unreliable. The grains are higher with use of irrigation and soil supplements. traditionally used in porridge and couscous, for bread, and for beer. Improved breeds of millet improve their disease resistance and However, the small grains make it difficult and time-consuming can significantly enhance farm yield productivity. But here is to remove the husk. Traditional methods include pounding it the thing in 2010; the average yield of millet crops worldwide in a mortar with sand (then separating the grains and sand) or was 0.83 tonnes per hectare. The most productive millet farms in 'popping' it over a flame and then pounding it, which yields a the world were in France with a nationwide average yield of 3.3 toasted-color grain. tonnes per hectare in 2010! The invention of a simple Fonio husking machine only 20 So quadruple yields of these crops are in prospect if the bright years ago suddenly offered an easier mechanical way to dehull breeders and agronomists are funded by the grain industry to get the grain from which it had been difficult to remove the brittle to work. outer shell. Indeed for hundreds of years, African women carried There is also a lot to like about millets being gluten free on the out the painstaking task of preparing Fonio by pounding and nutritional side (Table 1). threshing the grain and sand mixture with a pestle and mortar. Sorghum is native to Africa with many cultivated forms now but is Using this method after one hour of this tedious work, only also an important crop worldwide as food. Most varieties are drought two kilograms of Fonio were available for consumption and 15 and heat-tolerant, and are especially important in arid regions, where litres of precious water were needed to remove the sand. The the grain is one of the staples for poor and rural people. Sorghum is mechanical de-hulling invention has meant the whole process has efficient in converting solar energy to chemical energy and also uses been reduced from a one-hour job to a six-minute job! less water compared to other grain crops. This currently 50kg device gently abrades the surface of the Again more to like on the nutritional side with Sorghum seed before passing it through a rotating mechanism which supplying numerous essential elements in rich content (20% or removes the husks and is an example of the power of milling more of the Daily Value, DV), including protein; fibre; the B technology to solve a significant problem in developing countries. vitamins niacin, thiamine and vitamin B6 and several dietary The ease with which it can be manufactured speaks volumes for minerals including iron (26% DV) and manganese (76% DV) the further potential of your great industry. (Table 2). Sorghum nutrient contents generally are similar mistakes made in more developed agricultural economies. In terms of a parallel in other areas of agriculture then look no further than the milk industry. This is changing direction as supermarkets engage with farmers for direct supply and production systems are becoming less intense to avoid the current untenable system facing systemic failure that has arisen out of unbridled agribusiness and processing fully let off the leash. Agriculture is the ‘engine for growth’ in developing countries. With subsistence agriculture practiced by majority smallholder farmers, yield gaps are high and poor soils, amongst other constraints add to the difficulties for sustainable farming and incomes. Cereals like Sorghum and Millets are major staple foods.
52 | August 2017 - Milling and Grain
Table 2: Sorghum, grain - Nutritional value per 100g (3.5oz)