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Could raishan be the next fonio?
by Don Osborn 23 Aug '24

23 Aug '24

The title plays with the common trope, "Is Y the new X?" However, raishan (Digitatia compacta) - a relative of fonio (D. exilis) - is apparently cultivated only in the Khasi Hills area of Meghalaya state in northeast India. It does not appear to be produced at a level that would support wider marketing. Raishan got a prominent mention a couple of years ago in an article by author and BBC reporter Dan Saladino ("The Ancient Super Grain That Could Help Feed the World: Once headed for extinction, millet is now being recognized as a solution to global food problems," Foreign Policy, 8 Oct. 2022 https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/10/08/food-crisis-biodiversity-agriculture-i… ). A 2015 webpage asking "Millets – Why Are They Languishing?" (Zizira.com. https://www.zizira.com/blogs/plants/millets-why-are-they-languishing ) has a pretty good section on "Raishan - Millet of Meghalaya." The mention of the labor intensive processing of the grains (and how that can be a deterrent to using it as food, as opposed to just as fodder) reminds of discussions about fonio processing, and how small scale hulling machines helped energize production of that grain. In fact, in the case of raishan, Mr. Saladino wrote that "new technology is now helping to make millet a more appealing crop to grow." That technology is not stated, but one imagines it could be small-scale mechanization to address the processing issues. A short academic article from half a century ago gives a good introduction (note that the species name at the time was D. cruciata, and the administrative region where it is grown was then Assam): Singh, H. B., & Arora, R. K. (1972). Raishan (Digitaria sp.): A Minor Millet of the Khasi Hills, India. *Economic Botany*, *26*(4), 376–380. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4253381 [NB- you can register for a free JSTOR account to read articles such as this online] The distinction between wild and cultivated varieties of raishan is important. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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"Millets triangle" - new presentation of latest version
by Don Osborn 23 Aug '24

23 Aug '24

Attached is a PDF copy of a new PPT presentation of the current version of the "millets triangle." (If you'd like the PPT version, please ask offlist - the file size of that is larger than the PDF.) In 2022, I introduced the concept of conveying the diversity of millets in a single graphic that could be used to convey information about who grows which ones where and for what). I revised that millets triangle shortly afterwards. A previous version of this presentation introduced that second version of the triangle, and it received some helpful feedback. I revised the millets triangle again earlier this year, but not until now have I revised the presentation (so this is presentation version 2, but displaying the third version of the triangle). I hope the introduction to the millets triangle is clearer in this version. The examples in the last section before the conclusion (starting at slide 23) are new or have been reworked from the earlier effort. A key use that is anticipated for this diagram is being able to characterize uses of various millets in diverse contexts. This is an ongoing project, with the object of bringing millets as a group into clearer view. The current version of the millets triangle may be revised, or perhaps give rise to another conceptual approach to bringing information about the diverse millets into a reusable graphic. Your feedback and suggestions for improvement are requested. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Cool job opportunity!
by Joni Kindwall-Moore 12 Aug '24

12 Aug '24

Hello Millets community, this is a great opportunity to live in beautiful Bozeman, MT. This facility will process both proso millet and "naked" high-protein oats. Please let me know if you would like to learn more. Thanks, Joni *Joni Kindwall-Moore BSN-RN, BA* Founder, Innovator, Mother, Nurse, Activist *P: 406-334-1608* *www.snacktivistfoods.com <http://www.snacktivistfoods.com/>* *Welcome to the Snacktivist Nation! *

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Kansas State University's attention to millets
by Don Osborn 11 Aug '24

11 Aug '24

Kansas grows more sorghum than any other state in the US, and now there is also interest in promoting "millet" as a crop there. The type of millet is not specified - I was assuming proso - but read on. According to an article entitled "Sorghum gets boost with collaboration with millet" (by Dave Bergmeier, High Plains Journal, 1 Sept. 2023),/1 researchers at Kansas State University (K-State) are interested in water-saving millet as a crop in western Kansas, where declining levels in the Ogallala Aquifer are of increasing concern. This current interest figures in a broader Global Collaboration for Sorghum and Millet (GCSM)/2 announced at the Global Sorghum Conference in Montpelier, France last year/3 by Prof. Ernie Minton, Dean of the K-State College of Agriculture. K-State has also been the host for the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet (aka Sorghum and Millet Innovation Lab, or SMIL) since 2013./4 SMIL, currently headed by Dr. Timothy Dalton, has research relationships and projects in Africa, where sorghum and pearl millet are major crops. Dr. Dalton is also Director of Research with the GCSM, and Nat Bascom is its Director of Engagement and Leadership. The HPJ article mentioned that the K-State Agricultural Research Center in Hays/5 at one time had a research program on millet./1 This may refer to a research program on pearl millet, led by William Stegmeier beginning in 1969, which later linked to international programs./6/7 This research ended but was apparently restarted by Prof. Ramaswamy Perumal. However, the page on that has been removed, so I retrieved a link on the Wayback Machine./8 K-State and its Research-Extension Centers around Kansas also have a history of research on proso/9 and foxtail millets,/10 as well as sorghum, of course./11 Given this background, it will be interesting to see how their research agenda develops. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US ) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. HPJ article https://hpj.com/2023/09/01/sorghum-gets-boost-with-collaboration-with-mille… 2. GCSM https://globalsorghumandmillet.com/ 3. K-State Research & Extension News, 5 Jun. 2023 https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2023/06/agriculture-sorghum-mille… 4. SMIL https://smil.k-state.edu/ 5. K-State Hays https://www.wkrec.org/about/locations/archays.html 6. N.B. Christensen, et al, "Pearl Millet: A Potential Crop for Kansas," AES Keeping Up With Research, 77, May 1984. https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/SRL77.pdf 7. History of the Ag. Res. Ctr. - Hays https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/SB663.pdf 8. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831132317/https://www.hays.k-state.edu/pro… 9. https://search.k-state.edu/people.html?qt=%22proso+millet%22&curtab=0 10. https://search.k-state.edu/people.html?qt=%22foxtail+millet%22&curtab=0 11. https://search.k-state.edu/people.html?qt=sorghum&curtab=0

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Digitaria cognata - once a Hopi staple?
by Don Osborn 10 Aug '24

10 Aug '24

With fonio as our millet of the month this August, we'll also discuss some other species in the same genus, Digitaria, that are or have been used for food. A casual search for "Digitaria" on the Native American Ethnobotany Database at http://naeb.brit.org came up with an unexpected result: Apparently the Hopi people in what is now Arizona made use of Digitaria cognata grains for food (the NAEB database calls it a staple). This information traces back to a single source from 1891, published in 1940. I've found no other sources. This one uses an old botanic designation, Leptoloma cognatum. (I add an easily accessible link below the reference; it's also on JSTOR, for those who have or want to register for access): Vestal, Paul A, 1940, Notes on a Collection of Plants from the Hopi Indian Region of Arizona Made by J. G. Owens in 1891, Botanical Museum Leaflets (Harvard University) 8(8):153-168, page 158 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7811988#page/184/mode/1up This item has only the following information (copy-pasted from the JSTOR holding) without any discussion - in fact, the reference includes only such short descriptions: Leptoloma cognatum ( Schuttes ) Chase in Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 19 (1906) 192. Panicům cognatum Schultes in Roemer & Schultes Syst. Veg. Mant. 2 (1824) 235. Panicům autumnale Bosc ex Sprengel Syst. Veg. 1 (1825) 320. Fall Witchgrass. Bá-du-sha-ka. "Grind seed into meal." In a foray into what looks like a very meticulous Hopi dictionary, as much as a non-speaker can say such a thing, the closest I could find was the following, altho the habitat implied by the definition doesn't necessarily correspond with the habitat description given by USDA, as linked below (NB- the orthography of the version of Hopi that is the focus of this dictionary does not include "b." so "p" and one pronunciation of "v" are as close as one gets): paatusaqa, n. sg., grass that grows near water - kuyta. The water grass is sprouting up. paa-tusaqa [water grass] Source: Hopi dictionary = Hopìikwa lavàytutuveni : a Hopi-English dictionary of the Third Mesa dialect with an English-Hopi finder list and a sketch of Hopi grammar. (Compiled by the Hopi Dictionary Project.) University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1998. https://archive.org/details/hopidictionaryho0000unse/ Digitaria cognata is native to North America. English common names for it include fall witchgrass, as noted in the Vestal / Owens source above, and Carolina crabgrass. Three sources on this species follow: * USDA,Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plants: Digitaria cognata (Schult.) Pilg. https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=dico6 (curiously, the distribution map does not include Arizona or any adjacent state; the Vester / Owens source is not among those cited) * USDA Plant Fact Sheet (linked from the above) https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/factsheet/pdf/fs_dico6.pdf * Native Plant Trust (mentions the Hopi, based probably on the above references, and uses the same distro map as USDA) https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/digitaria/cognata/ For more on the Hopi, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi is a good starting point. A quick note from personal experience interfacing botanical descriptions that include names in local languages, and dictionaries in those languages, such as I did here and earlier with 'anki for Echinochloa crus-galli in Mohave. From extensive work on the Fulfulde language of West Africa, I frequently found that botanists would naturally be precise about a species, but add local names as they heard them, while linguists and lexicographers would be precise on the pronunciation and orthography, but often give only a general description of the plant. Cross-indexing the two is sometimes apparent, and sometimes needs more work, but also requires some caution. In any event, linking these two domains of knowledge is useful for any further research on the uses and value of various plants among people who know (or knew) them well. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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NAMA: Practical aspects of our functioning & plans
by Don Osborn 10 Aug '24

10 Aug '24

The question may arise about how the North American Millets Alliance (NAMA) is supported materially. Here's a response, in the interests of transparency. First of all, NAMA is a volunteer initiative. Secondly, within its broad purpose to promote millets in North America as sustainable crops and nutritious foods there are supporting goals (such as education, information sharing, and networking) and projects (notably the Millets Webinar series in 2023). These are pursued on a non monetary cost basis, with small funding for necessary overhead coming in varying measure from the three founders. A larger project might involve in-kind collaboration by an institution, which would handle its own costs internally (this was the model of the collaboration on the Webinar series with the University of Missouri's FEAST Lab and Center for Regenerative Agriculture). Our plans include incorporation as a non-profit, which would allow us to have the financial structure to process grants (such as we intend to apply for), and possible donations (that could then be taken as tax deductions by those giving). There are no plans for any paid membership structure. Ultimately, we want to more effectively and creatively fulfil our stated purpose, and as part of that, to support and collaborate with other efforts that are working in the same or similar directions. The above is offered as a simple explanation, and parts or all of it may be incorporated in the next version of our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Best to all, Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US - +1 202-621-3911) North American Millets Alliance

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Re: [Collab] Mechanization of fonio processing (Re: Collab Digest, Vol 31, Issue 4)
by Don Osborn 08 Aug '24

08 Aug '24

You're welcome, Gary, and thanks for your kind remarks and additional information. I mentioned the "Décorticage du fonio" (Dramé, et al 2004) document to Joni in a call earlier, and she wondered about translating it. This work is interesting in that it discusses different approaches. It might be interesting to recapitulate the main points of this and some related documents for a renewed overview of approaches to dehulling fonio, maybe in both French and English. Then taking a step further, would a collection of articles on challenges, experiences, and solutions for dehulling various milllets in a book form help advance work in post-harvest processing? Such a project might ideally be led by someone in the field of agricultural engineering. Regarding terms and aspects of the processing of fonio described in these works: * "son" in French is indeed bran; I'm not aware of any nuance of distinction between "son" & "bran" * "blanchiment" corresponds in this context to pearling, as far as I understand it; however, in the English translation of Cruz et al's 2011 book, they use the literal translation of "whitening," which, while descriptive of the color of the final product one sees, does not seem to me to be ideal for discussing the process (I do, however, see that "whitening" is accepted as a term alongside "pearling" - for example in the database at https://isl.ics.forth.gr/bbt-federated-thesaurus/FoodEx2Matrix/en/page/?uri… ) The fonio I consumed regularly in Futa Jalon, Guines ('85-'87), and occasionally in Bamako, Mali (2000) all appeared to be pearled (whitish in color). Not sure why pearling is so closely associated with dehulling in practice, as reflected in the document links shared, but there would be cultural as well as technical reasons. On the other hand, the fonio I consumed regularly in southern Togo ('79-'81), and occasionally in Niamey, Niger ('00-'04), through a Togolese connection, was always a light brown, due to the heating process used to facilitate dehulling. No info on how much of the bran was preserved or lost in that process, which also involved pounding in a wooden mortar. Cleaning of fonio might yield higher proportions of extraneous matter than what you note for proso, especially if traditional methods of threshing are used. One FAO expert noted in a 2022 correspondence that some fonio imported into Italy was rejected there because of the presence of extraneous materials such as feathers and stones mixed with the grains, evidently due to poor cleaning (no further info on that story). One recent webpage missing from my collection of references is about the CAA / Terra Ingredients facility in Dakar, Senegal.: "Bill Gates Takes Note of Fonio, Recognizing its Potential for Positive Impact," Terra Ingredients, 26 May 2024 https://www.terraingredients.com/news/bill-gates-takes-note-of-fonio-recogn… That webpage article is kind of a counterpart to Bill Gates' widely circulated blogpost from April 2024. In the video embedded in this page (and also Gates' original posting), CAA managing director Laura Layousse mentions that they take a new automated approach to mechanical dehulling of the grains, inspired by traditional methods, and will be able to process 5 tons in 8 hours. Again, I am not aware of any technical documents on their methods that are available to the public, but such would be a useful addition to the discussion. All the best, Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA On Wed, Aug 7, 2024 at 8:48 AM Gary Wietgrefe via Collab < collab(a)lists.millets2023.space> wrote: > Your fonio hulling summary is excellent--by far the best summary I have > ever seen. > Though in French, Decorticage du fonio (Hulling of Fonio) decorticage_Cruz > JF.pdf (cirad.fr) <https://agritrop.cirad.fr/607531/1/ID607531.pdf> walks > through various steps, process, and results of several methods of hulling > from raw seed to final stage "white hulled" fonio. Everyone considering > hulling any grain, especially millets, should read this! > What I found extremely interesting on that report was page 3 documenting a > waste stream of 23% hulls, 9% "son" (must be inside bran) leaving 68% white > fonio. Since proso has a clean interior after the hulling stage, I > suggested earlier hulled proso yield of 75-80% is good and seems to track > fonio reported cleanout. (Keep in mind, whether fonio, proso, or other > millets all must go through a cleaning stage to take out harvested chaff, > weed seed, dirt, and other inert materials which could range from 3-20% > before entering the huller.) > Thank you Don! Very good report....Gary Wietgrefe > > On Wed, Aug 7, 2024 at 6:01 AM <collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space> > wrote: > >> Send Collab mailing list submissions to >> collab(a)lists.millets2023.space >> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit >> https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to >> collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space >> >> You can reach the person managing the list at >> collab-owner(a)lists.millets2023.space >> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >> than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..." >> >> >> Today's Topics: >> >> 1. Mechanization of fonio processing (Re: International Fonio >> Day - July 27) (Don Osborn) >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Message: 1 >> Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2024 13:42:22 -0400 >> From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> >> To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space >> Subject: [Collab] Mechanization of fonio processing (Re: International >> Fonio Day - July 27) >> Message-ID: >> < >> CA+RHibVjp8Zdh8gSqv+j8waDuDVW9okYm1GGESvs7ds1hGtBVw(a)mail.gmail.com> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" >> >> In an offlist response to my post on Fonio Day (7/27) David Brenner asked >> if there was more information about Sanoussi Diakité's fonio dehulling >> machine. Well, I found all that and a lot more - all but the first and the >> last two in French only. Per the title of this email, I'll broaden the >> scope slightly to mention mechanical threshing of fonio (which is still >> typically harvested by hand, as far as I know), but still focus on >> dehulling. >> >> Since we're now in August, with fonio as the millet of the month, I'll >> summarize this information below as a matter of record, for those who have >> an interest in dehulling technologies for fonio and in general (it's not >> as >> simple as one might think). In the process, a picture emerges of how the >> fonio dehulling technology has continued to develop, especially since the >> early 1990s, and what its impact has been on fonio production. >> >> A good starting place is within a book on fonio from the 2010s, first >> published in French, and then in English translation. See chapter 6 on >> improving post-harvest technologies, which mentions early interest in >> mechanizing fonio processing - in Guinea during the early >> 1900s..Mechanical >> dehulling is discussed in a section of that chapter beginning on page 93 >> in >> the English edition, and page 106 in the French. The "Sanoussi" dehuller >> is >> the one originated by Mr. Diakité. >> * Cruz, Jean-François, Famoï Beavogui, & Djibril Dramé, "Le fonio, une >> céréale africaine," Éditions Quae, 2011. >> https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/31535 (2 options to >> download) >> * Cruz, Jean-François & Famoï Beavogui, with the collaboration of Djibril >> Dramé and Thierno Alimou Diallo, ""Fonio, an african cereal," CIRAD & >> IRAG, >> 2016. https://agritrop.cirad.fr/582085/1/ID582085.pdf >> >> For deeper dives into the design and operation of various dehullers, there >> are a number of shorter documents. First, one from 2004: In it, several >> dehullers ("décortiquers"), and indeed approaches to dehulling, are >> discussed. Diakité's was evidently the first (dating back to the 1990s), >> and is called here by his first name "Sanoussi." Other dehullers >> apparently >> use different methods >> Dramé, Djibril, Claude Marouzé, Gouyahali Son, Francis Loua, & >> Jean-François Cruz, "Décorticage du fonio : Rapport de synthèse," Projet >> CFC/IGG - (FIGG/02) - Amélioration des Technologies Post-récolte du Fonio >> (CIRAD-IER-IRAG-IRSAT), Juin 2004 (31 pages) >> https://agritrop.cirad.fr/607531/1/ID607531.pdf >> >> Then there is a 2005 book by some of the same authors about an improved >> dehuller, built on the experience of the earlier machines: GMBF evidently >> stands for the four countries involved in the design: Guinea, Mali, >> Burkina >> (Faso), and France >> Marouzé, Claude, Djibril Dramé, Francis Loua, Gouyahali Son, & Patrice >> Thaunay. Décortiqueuer à Fonio GMBF: Dossier de fabrication. Projet Fonio >> CFC/ICG - Amélioration des Technologies Post-récolte du Fonio. >> L'Harmattan, >> 2005. >> > https://www.editions-harmattan.fr/livre-decortiqueur_a_fonio_gmbf_dossier_d… > >> So, from the mid-2000s it seems that the GMBF dehuller was the focus of >> attention, at least in Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso. See for example a >> 2016 study report: >> Ferré, Thierry, Jean-François Cruz, & Ignace Medah, "La mécanisation du >> décorticage du fonio au Mali et au Burkina Faso : Étude de cas," ImpresS >> (Impact of Research in the South), Juin 2016. >> >> https://agritrop.cirad.fr/586750/1/Etude_de_cas_%C3%A9quipement_fonio_IMPRE… >> >> The latter document reports that farmers credit dehullers with saving >> fonio >> from abandonment as a crop. This, because of the time and labor previously >> necessary to dehull it (mostly on the part of women). >> >> This is a theme mentioned also in a short video featuring Mr. Diakité. >> "Sanoussi Diakité, inventeur de la décortiqueuse de fonio," BBC Afrique, >> 16 >> April 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxB3vyhUZPE . Given the date >> of >> this video, one has the impression that Mr. Diakité continues work on his >> dehuller, and that it is very much still in use in Senegal, at least. >> >> A 2018 article discusses fonio dehulling technology from the point of view >> of innovation and diffusion. From this, you get a sense of the background >> of some of the work. Interestingly, it notes that two Malian women >> discussed mechanization of fonio dehulling with CIRAD researchers in 1993 >> - >> the same year of Mr. Diakité's invention in Senegal. This brief piece >> does >> not give a sense of other initiatives or how they figure in current usage, >> nor does it go into details about the technology itself, but is another >> piece of the story: >> Ferré, Thierry, Ignace Medah, Jean-François Cruz, Marie-Hélène Dabat, >> Pierre-Yves Le Gal, Matthieu Chtioui & Agathe Devaux-Spatarakis, "Innover >> dans le secteur de la transformation agroalimentaire en Afrique de >> l'Ouest," Cahiers Agricultures, 27 1 (2018) >> https://doi.org/10.1051/cagri/2018004 >> >> Despite the impression one might get from the above that mechanical >> processing of fonio (and especially dehulling) is becoming more widespread >> in West Africa, it is apparently unknown to some growers. This 2020 >> article >> about the work of Minnesota-based Terra Ingredients mentions women in a >> co-op they work with, processing fonio by hand (the traditional way), and >> that ""the fonio soon will not be processed by hand." It further mentions >> that "The company spent 12 months on what he [Terra Ingredients director >> Peter Carlson] said was an 'R&D nightmare' as it worked to create a >> mechanized way to process fonio." There is no mention of how the >> abovementioned efforts fit in their research and development process. >> Terra >> Ingredients is the major importer of fonio in the US, and supplies various >> enterprises with the grain; the source of this article; North Dakota-based >> Stone Mill is one of their partners for late-stages of processing fonio.) >> "Terra's quest to bring fonio out of Africa and onto shelves around the >> world," Stone Mill, 6 March 2020 >> >> https://www.stonemill.net/terras-quest-to-bring-fonio-out-of-africa-and-ont… >> >> What Terra Ingredients and their Senegalese partner CAA are bringing to >> the >> processing, and in particular dehulling, of fonio are developing is >> larger-scale processing, both for export and local urban markets. For more >> on CAA, see: https://caa.sn/about-us/ . For mention of the Terra >> Ingredients - CAA partnership "to build a modern processing facility in >> Dakar, Senegal for processing and dehulling," along with how Stone Mill >> in ND fits into the supply chain, see: >> https://www.terraingredients.com/fonio/supplychain/ . (Possible details >> on >> their approach to dehulling will have to wait for a later posting...). >> >> Anyway, there's clearly a lot going on in the "fonio space" in West >> Africa, >> the US, and internationally. It seems that the small scale dehullers that >> began to come on the scene in the 1990s were revolutionary, both for local >> producers and for beginning the local commercialization of fonio (I saw >> some of that in Bamako in 2000). That foundation has permitted more >> ambitious efforts, including exports (by enterprises such as Yolélé), as >> well as the most recent larger-scale efforts mentioned above. >> >> >From a North American perspective, ths may be interesting information >> for >> consumers and vendors. Further technical details may be of interest for >> discussions of dehulling of small millets in our region, as David >> suggested. I personally wonder whether there is a potential for small >> scale >> dehullers for artisanal producers of alternative grains. >> >> Don >> >> DO, EL, MI, US >> NAMA >> >> >> On Sun, Jul 28, 2024 at 11:12 PM Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> >> wrote: >> >> > Somehow missed this, but there has been an International Fonio Day on >> July >> > 27 for some years. >> > >> > Evidently it was proposed by a Senegalese, Sanoussi Diakité, who dates >> his >> > invention of a fonio dehulling machine to 27 July 1993./1 Mr. Diakité >> won a >> > Rolex award for this invention, based on its impact on local fonio >> > processing and benefits to rural communities - especially women who are >> > traditionally tasked with processing it by hand - in fonio-producing >> > areas./2 >> > >> > NAMA has fonio as the "millet of the month" in August this year, but >> could >> > consider possibly switching it to July in 2025. >> > >> > However, it will also be good to check about other dates associated with >> > fonio. Noting for example "Ovazu" (Ɔvazu), or fonio festival, of the >> > Akposso and Akebou in southern Togo, celebrated after harvest, later in >> the >> > year,/3 often on the second Saturday of December./4 >> > >> > Similarly, I'd like to check for other such observations connected with >> > various millets, before considering further possible changes in the >> millet >> > of the month calendar. >> > >> > Don Osborn, PhD >> > (East Lansing, MI, US) >> > North American Millets Alliance >> > >> > Notes: >> > 1. "International Fonio Day - 27 July," by Nicole Gregoire, >> > Image-i-nations, 26 July 2016 >> > https://image-i-nations.com/international-fonio-day-27-july/ >> > 2. "Sanoussi Diakité: Grain of Hope," Rolex Awards 1996 >> > https://www.rolex.org/rolex-awards/applied-technology/sanoussi-diakite >> > 3. Ovazu Foundation - About, https://www.ovazufoundation.org/about >> > 4. "Ovazu (Fête des moissons en pays Akposso et Akebou)," Togo Tourisme >> > >> https://togo-tourisme.com/culture/fetes-traditionnelles/ovazu-fete-des-mois… >> > >> > >>

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Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 31, Issue 4
by Gary Wietgrefe 07 Aug '24

07 Aug '24

Your fonio hulling summary is excellent--by far the best summary I have ever seen. Though in French, Decorticage du fonio (Hulling of Fonio) decorticage_Cruz JF.pdf (cirad.fr) <https://agritrop.cirad.fr/607531/1/ID607531.pdf> walks through various steps, process, and results of several methods of hulling from raw seed to final stage "white hulled" fonio. Everyone considering hulling any grain, especially millets, should read this! What I found extremely interesting on that report was page 3 documenting a waste stream of 23% hulls, 9% "son" (must be inside bran) leaving 68% white fonio. Since proso has a clean interior after the hulling stage, I suggested earlier hulled proso yield of 75-80% is good and seems to track fonio reported cleanout. (Keep in mind, whether fonio, proso, or other millets all must go through a cleaning stage to take out harvested chaff, weed seed, dirt, and other inert materials which could range from 3-20% before entering the huller.) Thank you Don! Very good report....Gary Wietgrefe On Wed, Aug 7, 2024 at 6:01 AM <collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space> wrote: > Send Collab mailing list submissions to > collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space > > You can reach the person managing the list at > collab-owner(a)lists.millets2023.space > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Mechanization of fonio processing (Re: International Fonio > Day - July 27) (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2024 13:42:22 -0400 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > Subject: [Collab] Mechanization of fonio processing (Re: International > Fonio Day - July 27) > Message-ID: > < > CA+RHibVjp8Zdh8gSqv+j8waDuDVW9okYm1GGESvs7ds1hGtBVw(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > In an offlist response to my post on Fonio Day (7/27) David Brenner asked > if there was more information about Sanoussi Diakit?'s fonio dehulling > machine. Well, I found all that and a lot more - all but the first and the > last two in French only. Per the title of this email, I'll broaden the > scope slightly to mention mechanical threshing of fonio (which is still > typically harvested by hand, as far as I know), but still focus on > dehulling. > > Since we're now in August, with fonio as the millet of the month, I'll > summarize this information below as a matter of record, for those who have > an interest in dehulling technologies for fonio and in general (it's not as > simple as one might think). In the process, a picture emerges of how the > fonio dehulling technology has continued to develop, especially since the > early 1990s, and what its impact has been on fonio production. > > A good starting place is within a book on fonio from the 2010s, first > published in French, and then in English translation. See chapter 6 on > improving post-harvest technologies, which mentions early interest in > mechanizing fonio processing - in Guinea during the early 1900s..Mechanical > dehulling is discussed in a section of that chapter beginning on page 93 in > the English edition, and page 106 in the French. The "Sanoussi" dehuller is > the one originated by Mr. Diakit?. > * Cruz, Jean-Franc?is, Famo? Beavogui, & Djibril Dram?, "Le fonio, une > c?r?ale africaine," ?ditions Quae, 2011. > https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/31535 (2 options to > download) > * Cruz, Jean-Franc?is & Famo? Beavogui, with the collaboration of Djibril > Dram? and Thierno Alimou Diallo, ""Fonio, an african cereal," CIRAD & IRAG, > 2016. https://agritrop.cirad.fr/582085/1/ID582085.pdf > > For deeper dives into the design and operation of various dehullers, there > are a number of shorter documents. First, one from 2004: In it, several > dehullers ("d?cortiquers"), and indeed approaches to dehulling, are > discussed. Diakit?'s was evidently the first (dating back to the 1990s), > and is called here by his first name "Sanoussi." Other dehullers apparently > use different methods > Dram?, Djibril, Claude Marouz?, Gouyahali Son, Francis Loua, & > Jean-Fran?ois Cruz, 'D?corticage du fonio : Rapport de synth?se," Projet > CFC/IGG - (FIGG/02) - Am?lioration des Technologies Post-r?colte du Fonio > (CIRAD-IER-IRAG-IRSAT), Juin 2004 (31 pages) > https://agritrop.cirad.fr/607531/1/ID607531.pdf > > Then there is a 2005 book by some of the same authors about an improved > dehuller, built on the experience of the earlier machines: GMBF evidently > stands for the four countries involved in the design: Guinea, Mali, Burkina > (Faso), and France > Marouz?, Claude, Djibril Dram?, Francis Loua, Gouyahali Son, & Patrice > Thaunay. D?cortiqueuer ? Fonio GMBF: Dossier de fabrication. Projet Fonio > CFC/ICG - Am?lioration des Technologies Post-r?colte du Fonio. L'Harmattan, > 2005. > > So, from the mid-2000s it seems that the GMBF dehuller was the focus of > attention, at least in Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso. See for example a > 2016 study report: > Ferr?, Thierry, Jean-Fran?ois Cruz, & Ignace Medah, "La m?canisation du > d?corticage du fonio au Mali et au Burkina Faso : ?tude de cas," ImpresS > (Impact of Research in the South), Juin 2016. > > https://agritrop.cirad.fr/586750/1/Etude_de_cas_%C3%A9quipement_fonio_IMPRE… > > The latter document reports that farmers credit dehullers with saving fonio > from abandonment as a crop. This, because of the time and labor previously > necessary to dehull it (mostly on the part of women). > > This is a theme mentioned also in a short video featuring Mr. Diakit?. > "Sanoussi Diakit?, inventeur de la d?cortiqueuse de fonio," BBC Afrique, 16 > April 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxB3vyhUZPE . Given the date of > this video, one has the impression that Mr. Diakit? continues work on his > dehuller, and that it is very much still in use in Senegal, at least. > > A 2018 article discusses fonio dehulling technology from the point of view > of innovation and diffusion. From this, you get a sense of the background > of some of the work. Interestingly, it notes that two Malian women > discussed mechanization of fonio dehulling with CIRAD researchers in 1993 - > the same year of Mr. Diakit?'s invention in Senegal. This brief piece does > not give a sense of other initiatives or how they figure in current usage, > nor does it go into details about the technology itself, but is another > piece of the story: > Ferr?, Thierry, Ignace Medah, Jean-Fran?ois Cruz, Marie-H?l?ne Dabat, > Pierre-Yves Le Gal, Matthieu Chtioui & Agathe Devaux-Spatarakis, "Innover > dans le secteur de la transformation agroalimentaire en Afrique de > l?Ouest," Cahiers Agricultures, 27 1 (2018) > https://doi.org/10.1051/cagri/2018004 > > Despite the impression one might get from the above that mechanical > processing of fonio (and especially dehulling) is becoming more widespread > in West Africa, it is apparently unknown to some growers. This 2020 article > about the work of Minnesota-based Terra Ingredients mentions women in a > co-op they work with, processing fonio by hand (the traditional way), and > that ""the fonio soon will not be processed by hand." It further mentions > that "The company spent 12 months on what he [Terra Ingredients director > Peter Carlson] said was an 'R&D nightmare' as it worked to create a > mechanized way to process fonio." There is no mention of how the > abovementioned efforts fit in their research and development process. Terra > Ingredients is the major importer of fonio in the US, and supplies various > enterprises with the grain; the source of this article; North Dakota-based > Stone Mill is one of their partners for late-stages of processing fonio.) > "Terra?s quest to bring fonio out of Africa and onto shelves around the > world," Stone Mill, 6 March 2020 > > https://www.stonemill.net/terras-quest-to-bring-fonio-out-of-africa-and-ont… > > What Terra Ingredients and their Senegalese partner CAA are bringing to the > processing, and in particular dehulling, of fonio are developing is > larger-scale processing, both for export and local urban markets. For more > on CAA, see: https://caa.sn/about-us/ . For mention of the Terra > Ingredients - CAA partnership "to build a modern processing facility in > Dakar, Senegal for processing and dehulling," along with how Stone Mill > in ND fits into the supply chain, see: > https://www.terraingredients.com/fonio/supplychain/ . (Possible details on > their approach to dehulling will have to wait for a later posting...). > > Anyway, there's clearly a lot going on in the "fonio space" in West Africa, > the US, and internationally. It seems that the small scale dehullers that > began to come on the scene in the 1990s were revolutionary, both for local > producers and for beginning the local commercialization of fonio (I saw > some of that in Bamako in 2000). That foundation has permitted more > ambitious efforts, including exports (by enterprises such as Yol?l?), as > well as the most recent larger-scale efforts mentioned above. > > >From a North American perspective, ths may be interesting information for > consumers and vendors. Further technical details may be of interest for > discussions of dehulling of small millets in our region, as David > suggested. I personally wonder whether there is a potential for small scale > dehullers for artisanal producers of alternative grains. > > Don > > DO, EL, MI, US > NAMA > > > On Sun, Jul 28, 2024 at 11:12?PM Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > wrote: > > > Somehow missed this, but there has been an International Fonio Day on > July > > 27 for some years. > > > > Evidently it was proposed by a Senegalese, Sanoussi Diakit?, who dates > his > > invention of a fonio dehulling machine to 27 July 1993./1 Mr. Diakit? > won a > > Rolex award for this invention, based on its impact on local fonio > > processing and benefits to rural communities - especially women who are > > traditionally tasked with processing it by hand - in fonio-producing > > areas./2 > > > > NAMA has fonio as the "millet of the month" in August this year, but > could > > consider possibly switching it to July in 2025. > > > > However, it will also be good to check about other dates associated with > > fonio. Noting for example "Ovazu" (?vazu), or fonio festival, of the > > Akposso and Akebou in southern Togo, celebrated after harvest, later in > the > > year,/3 often on the second Saturday of December./4 > > > > Similarly, I'd like to check for other such observations connected with > > various millets, before considering further possible changes in the > millet > > of the month calendar. > > > > Don Osborn, PhD > > (East Lansing, MI, US) > > North American Millets Alliance > > > > Notes: > > 1. "International Fonio Day ? 27 July," by Nicole Gregoire, > > Image-i-nations, 26 July 2016 > > https://image-i-nations.com/international-fonio-day-27-july/ > > 2. "Sanoussi Diakit?: Grain of Hope," Rolex Awards 1996 > > https://www.rolex.org/rolex-awards/applied-technology/sanoussi-diakite > > 3. Ovazu Foundation - About, https://www.ovazufoundation.org/about > > 4. "Ovazu (F?te des moissons en pays Akposso et Akebou)," Togo Tourisme > > > https://togo-tourisme.com/culture/fetes-traditionnelles/ovazu-fete-des-mois… > > > > >

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International Fonio Day - July 27
by Don Osborn 06 Aug '24

06 Aug '24

Somehow missed this, but there has been an International Fonio Day on July 27 for some years. Evidently it was proposed by a Senegalese, Sanoussi Diakité, who dates his invention of a fonio dehulling machine to 27 July 1993./1 Mr. Diakité won a Rolex award for this invention, based on its impact on local fonio processing and benefits to rural communities - especially women who are traditionally tasked with processing it by hand - in fonio-producing areas./2 NAMA has fonio as the "millet of the month" in August this year, but could consider possibly switching it to July in 2025. However, it will also be good to check about other dates associated with fonio. Noting for example "Ovazu" (Ɔvazu), or fonio festival, of the Akposso and Akebou in southern Togo, celebrated after harvest, later in the year,/3 often on the second Saturday of December./4 Similarly, I'd like to check for other such observations connected with various millets, before considering further possible changes in the millet of the month calendar. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. "International Fonio Day – 27 July," by Nicole Gregoire, Image-i-nations, 26 July 2016 https://image-i-nations.com/international-fonio-day-27-july/ 2. "Sanoussi Diakité: Grain of Hope," Rolex Awards 1996 https://www.rolex.org/rolex-awards/applied-technology/sanoussi-diakite 3. Ovazu Foundation - About, https://www.ovazufoundation.org/about 4. "Ovazu (Fête des moissons en pays Akposso et Akebou)," Togo Tourisme https://togo-tourisme.com/culture/fetes-traditionnelles/ovazu-fete-des-mois…

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Videos on nutritional aspects & health benefits of millets
by Don Osborn 04 Aug '24

04 Aug '24

A couple of months ago, I mentioned a set of podcasts by Michael Greger, MD on sorghum and health./1/2 Here I'd like to add that he has also done a couple on millets, plus one just released that is a kind of mix of the two. Regarding "millet" (or actually the grains surnamed millet) his offers two original videos are:: * "Studies on Millet Nutrition: Is It a Healthy Grain?" 10 March 2021 (4:56) https://nutritionfacts.org/video/studies-on-millet-nutrition-is-it-a-health… * "The Benefits of Millet for Diabetes," 15 March 2021 (5:00) https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-of-millet-for-diabetes/ The recent release, which seems to be based entirely on material from the previous two, is: * "Friday Favorites: Is Millet Healthy?" 2 August 2024 (9:20) https://nutritionfacts.org/video/friday-favorites-is-millet-healthy/ Altogether there is much info delivered - sometimes too quickly - and overall a very encouraging message about millets and health. A key takeaway for me was how millets go through the system more slowly than the main cereal grains, which is a good thing in terms of blood sugar (even for those of us not watching ours) and I guess also a healthy digestive tract. A couple of minor issues: In one image, I think from a source Dr. Greger was citing, "ravi" was given as a common name for finger millet (Eleusine coracana). A more frequently seen name from India is "ragi." Also, he refers to pearl millet as "plain millet" and later "regular millet." While pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is indeed the most widely cultivated and eaten in the world, it is proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) that is most grown and marketed for food in North America. I personally stay away from terms like "plain," "regular," or "common" when describing any millet, as these references are not helpful for identifying or characterizing these different grains. Some of you may be interested to know that Dr. Greger has a long series of videos and other material on specific nutrition topics at NutritionFacts.org Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. 4 podcasts (& 3 series) about sorghum, 9 Jun 2024 https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2024-June/000534.html 2. Re: 4 podcasts (& 3 series) about sorghum, 16 Jun 2024 (a follow up) https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2024-June/000544.html

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