A Native Ethiopian Grain is Growing in Popularity

Julia Entwistle - School for Environment and Sustainability

The onset of rainy season here in the Ethiopian highlands also means the start of growing season. You can’t step outside without seeing farmers hard at work plowing and planting their fields. Plowing is done manually with a basic plow made from local materials and the help of two oxen. Most families own only enough oxen to get the job done and with the season underway farmers often team up, bringing their plow and pair of oxen to a neighbor’s farm, to help each other out.

Farmers at work preparing fields for planting 

The common crops grown in this region include wheat, barley, beans, and lentils. While most wheat and barley fields are now waist high, farmers are still preparing to plant another grain that is very special to the region. Teff is a grain in the grass family that is only indigenous to Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Seeds are very fine and grow best in soft soil so farmers will plow their fields seven times in preparation for planting teff. With plowing being so labor intensive, this is huge amount of work. But for most Ethiopians, the effort is worthwhile. Teff seeds are ground into flour which comprise the base of the Ethiopian staple food, injera, a fermented, spongey flat bread. Teff, being high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, is also considered nutritionally superior to many other grains. The crop is gaining attention in the western world due to the fact that it is also gluten-free. Imports of teff to the U.S. are on the rise and Ethiopia is encouraging farmers to expand production to keep up with this growing demand.

Oxen with plow attached

Teff is beginning to be cultivated in the U.S., although it is not the easiest crop to adapt to conditions outside of its native range as teff is so well suited to the specific climate of the Ethiopian highlands. The grain grows best at over 6,000 feet, but won’t tolerate frost.

A farm in Woyene, North Showa, Ethiopia

 

 

Teff’s particular growing conditions may be both an advantage and a grievance to Ethiopians. If the crop cannot be easily cultivated elsewhere, then Ethiopia may have cornered the market on what is being called the next superfood. A few Ethiopians have also expressed the concern that rising teff prices may cause this grain to become unaffordable for most Ethiopians to consume, which would be great loss to diets both nutritionally and culturally.

 

My Internship Reflections

Nana Asare - Ford School of Public Policy
       

Yours truly explaining the first exercises 

August 12^th marked the conclusion of my summer internship at The Ihangane Project (TIP). During my 12-weeks in Ruli, I was able to observe and participate in the continuous development of the Ruli District Hospital (RDH) through multiple perspectives. Completing the retreat and setting up the next steps for the Health Systems Management (HSM) program at TIP was my biggest accomplishment. The next steps will feed into the work of the Ross Team to visit Rwanda next year and further continue the development of both TIP and RDH from an emerging markets standpoint. Nevertheless, the relationships I was able to develop with the hospital and TIP staff are also part of my personal accomplishments as I’ve always known that I belonged in the company of those dedicated to making a change in the world.

Quality healthcare provision is undoubtedly a costly endeavor and innovators are constantly working to find ways to deliver care effectively at lower cost while improving access and quality. My work with TIP and RDH was no different. I was really excited and proud of how the retreat outcomes mirrored and addressed the innovation needed in healthcare emerging markets. While brainstorming goals for the 5-year plan, costs and monetary issues were reoccurring themes but the retreat participants didn’t lose focus that the end goal was improving their service delivery. Even better, the participants made sure to bring forth the seemingly non-monetary issues that when unaddressed, eventually ended up affecting the annual budget. For instance, the participants wanted to strengthen the internal verification system which has enabled the hospital to recoup significant revenue which would have been lost due to petty mistakes and lack of professional consciousness.

            

The RDH head of Lab and Tech offering her suggestions

One factor that stood out to me during this summer was how the innovations within the HSM at the RDH was uniquely based on necessity. In my experience traveling and working in developing countries, it is common to see organizations flock to Western models as the way forward. However, at RDH, I realized that the innovations they wanted and suggested were informed by their “lived realities” and thus they wanted to forge solutions inspired by the highest standards, which are both within Rwanda and the developing world. I believe their ability to take these measures is largely influenced by the effective but less strict oversight from the Rwandan Ministry of Health. Thus, with fewer constraints, they can develop innovations specific to their catchment areas as a district hospital. Some of these innovations we discussed during the retreat included, standardized operations, workforce skills development and establishing revenue streams.

Post-retreat smiles

After the retreat was completed, I spent the following 3 weeks putting together my deliverables and ushering in the new B.A Liaison. I feel very accomplished and I am ready for the last year of my MPP program and post-grad career which will be influenced by the many lessons I’ve learned this summer. Now I’m off to enjoy a little vacation time in Zanzibar before I return for the last bit of Ann Arbor summer until I can say “Winter is here” :)