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.