by Sarah Phillips @FutureofFoodisNow
These ancient grains are the future of food: In West Africa, there’s a grain that’s older than the wheel—but it could also be the future of food. It can grow in poor soils, resist droughts, and provide income for smallholder farmers. It also tastes great and has many health benefits.
The grain is called fonio, and it’s one of the “lost crops” that could help us fight climate change and malnutrition at the same time. As indigenous or native plants that have largely fallen out of cultivation, millets like fonio—along with teff, the main ingredient in Ethiopian injera, and finger millet—are often overlooked by researchers and policymakers. But they have huge potential to improve lives and livelihoods.
Are you interested in learning more about indigenous grains?
Go to my website CraftyBaking.com for more information.
From: Bill Gates, “Could a grain older than the wheel be the future of food?”, Gates Notes, April 16, 2024
