Thanks, Zdravka, for letting us know about this important webinar on "Fonio: enhancing collaboration for sustainable agriculture and improved livelihoods" (next Wednesday, Nov. 29, 13:00 CET / 7 am EST).

Unfortunately, a schedule conflict will keep me from participating, but I hope it's okay to propose a few questions. Some of these may already anticipated by the presenters in what they will discuss, but whichever ones they don't cover may be of interest to hear more on:

1) "Fonio," as it is known in English and French, has many names in the first languages of West Africa. "Fonio" itself apparently came into French from Wolof, but there are similar terms in some Manding languages in the region. "Fonio" seems to have came into English from French, but another word, "acha" from Hausa, is also used in English.

2) Among the grains discussed in this International Year of Millets, is fonio the one most like quinoa in its rise to export popularity, and the potential "double-edged" effect on smallholder farmers who grow it? I'm referring to analysis done of the effects of the growth of the quinoa market on smallholder farmers in the Andean region of South America./1 Most other millets fall into one of three categories and don't seem to face this risk: (a) they are already major crops in more than one region, so there would be capacity to respond to market growth (pearl millet, foxtail  millet, proso millet, and finger millet, plus sorghum); or (b) they are cultivated on smaller scales and exported, like fonio, but are not getting the individual attention that fonio or quinoa now have, so their presence in the international markets may not increase as much (barnyard, kodo, browntop, and little millets. plus adlay, to name but a few); or (c) they are very local crops  hardly known outside their home regions and not processed for export. Teff, another  tiny millet from Africa, might be a special case under "b" in that it has become a significant alternative crop in another part of the world (the US), unlike fonio. So to return to the question, are there lessons from the case of quinoa particularly for fonio?

3) The next two questions have to do with other varieties of fonio. First, most, if not all, of the fonio grown for export, and sold internationally is from the species Digitaria exilis. There is of course another Digitaria grown less widely and mainly in eastern West Africa, D. iburua, sometimes called "black fonio." How does this closely related species compare as a crop and a food? Does it figure in current marketing of fonio, or if not, how might it be handled? Would it be a separate product?

4) Then there's Guinea millet (Brachiaria deflexa, or Urochloa deflexa), which is not usually discussed as fonio, at least in English.This grain is apparently grown as a crop only in the northern part of the Fouta Djalon plateau in Guinea - a region where fonio proper (D. exilis) is the main field crop. Guinea millet has the French appellation "fonio à grosses graines"/2/3 (large grained fonio). However, botanically, it would be more closely related to browntop millet (B.ramosa or U. ramosa), with different agronomic and flavor characteristics than fonio proper.  Are there any scenarios where Guinea millet might be marketed as another type of fonio?

5. Finally, there is a particular method to facilitate dehulling of fonio in the southern part of Togo (specifically the Akposso area of the Région des Plateaux) that I haven't noted elsewhere. It involves heating the grains on a metal pan until the hulls start to pop, and agitating it much as one might popcorn. The result as I understand is then pounded in a mortar and then winnowed. This of course also toasts the grains, giving the fonio so treated an interesting flavor. Has any thought been given to disseminating this technique?

By way of partial introduction (and disclaimer), I will just note that I worked in rural development for some years in West Africa, including two years each in the regions of Togo and Guinea mentioned above. It is from those experiences, plus occasionally eating dishes with fonio in more urban settings in that region, and more recently as imported into the US. (including but not limited to the "Yolélé" brand). I do not claim any expertise in the cultivation or preparation of fonio, nor have I studied it formally or in the field.

I am taking the liberty of bcc'ing the moderator of the upcoming webinar, Dr. Tiziana Ulian, for her information.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Don

Don Osborn, PhD
(East Lansing, MI, US)
North American Millets Alliance

Notes:
1. See for example a nice summary of this this issue by Long Yu, entitled "Superfoods’ Dark Side: Increasing Vulnerability of Quinoa Farmers in Bolivia" (Colby College Community Web, 19 Jan. 2019) https://web.colby.edu/st297-global18/2019/01/22/superfoods-dark-side-increasing-vulnerability-of-quinoa-farmers-in-bolivia/

2. Jean-François Cruz & Famoï Béavogui, Le fonio, une céréale africaine (Éditions Quæ, CTA, Presses agronomiques de Gembloux, 2011), pages 21 & 28 https://agritrop.cirad.fr/560957/1/ID560957.pdf (this work also notes a few other wild species also called fonio)

3. Cruz and Béavogui (op. cit.) mention a name in Pular (the main language of Fouta Djalon), which they transcribe as "founi kouli." Fonio is "foññe" in that language, but I am verifying the sense of the second term that they render as "kouli."


On Mon, Nov 20, 2023 at 3:41 AM Dimitrova, Zdravka (NSP) <Zdravka.Dimitrova@fao.org> wrote:

S A V E  T H E  D A T E

29 November 2023 | 13:00-14:30 CET

                                                             

International Year of Millets Global Webinar Series

6th Webinar:

“Fonio: enhancing collaboration for sustainable agriculture

and improved livelihoods’’ 

 

REGISTER HERE

Interpretation will be provided in English, French and Arabic

                                                             

 

The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th Session in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). As part of the IYM2023 celebration, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is organizing the “IYM Global Webinar Series” to highlight the various environmental, social and economic benefits of millets, their rich heritage and vast potential.  

 

Fonio is one of the oldest crops in Africa, and among the world’s fastest maturing cereal (60-70 days). In many Western African countries, fonio plays an important role in household food security and income generation and holds a vital place in cultural identity. Fonio is valued for its high nutrition, and ability to grow in areas of drought and high temperatures.

 

IYM2023 provides an unparalleled opportunity to promote fonio as a globally important crop for the future, and bring together researchers and practitioners from different countries and disciplines to share their work and join forces to promote its use for sustainable agriculture and improving local livelihoods.

 

Join this webinar to learn more about the genetics, taxonomic diversity and distribution of fonio, seed science and conservation, sustainable cultivation practices, potential uses and nutritional values, and opportunities to generate incomes.

                               

Agenda

 

Time 

Agenda item and presenter 

13:00 – 13:05 

 

Opening remarks, Mr Paolo Ceci, Technical Cooperation Programme in Saudi Arabia, FAO

13:05 – 14:15

  

Presentations

  • Regional partnership to promote conservation and sustainable use of fonio, Ms Claire Billot, CIRAD, and Ms Adeline Barnaud, IRD, France
  • Genomics to improve fonio varieties, Mr Simon Krattinger, KAUST, Saudi Arabia
  • Fonio diversity for resilient landscapes, Mr George Burton, Imperial College London / RBG Kew, UK
  • Nutritional and food technology aspects of fonio, Ms Nadia M.L. Fanou-Fogny, University of Abomey Calavi, Benin
  • Fonio-fueled sustainable livelihood enhancement, Mr Michel Ghanem, Forgotten Crops Society, France
  • Fonio as a driving force for empowering women, Ms Fatmata Binta, Fulani Kitchen Foundation, Ghana
  • New market opportunities for fonio, Mr Pierre Thiam, Yolélé & Teranga, United States of America

14:15 – 14:25 

 

Moderated discussion

14:25 – 14:30 

 

Closing remarks, Ms Sarada Krishnan, Crop Trust, Germany

    Moderated by Ms Tiziana Ulian, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew (United Kingdom)/ University of Turin (Italy)

 

For more information, please contact: International-Year-Millets@fao.org

 

 



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