Digitaria exilis
(Kippist) Stapf
Hungry rice, Fonio
Jose Hernandez, no known copyright restrictions (public domain)
Wikimedia Commons - Richard Nyberg, USAID
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Cereal
Digitaria exilis is an important part of cooking in West Africa, traditionally used for porridges and steamed cooked foods. The species is known to have high levels of carbohydrate and protein. These protein levels are seen with D. exilis being rich in essential amino acids such as methionine compared to other cereals such as wheat, rice and maize. These qualities show that D. exilis could be a good food source, and that if the right characters are chosen, it could turn into a useful crop. It can be used to make couscous, bread, and beer. Despite its valuable characteristics and widespread cultivation, fonio has generally received limited research and development attention, which is also why the species is sometimes referred to as an underutilized crop.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It can grow on poor, shallow soils. It grows on the edge of the Sahel. It grows in the savannah. It can tolerate drought. It grows in arid locations. It can grow with 400 mm average rainfall. It can grow in acidic soils with a high aluminium content. It can grow in arid places. It grows in areas with a temperature between 20°C to 30°C. In West Africa it grows between sea level and 1,500 m above sea level.
Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, West Africa,
How to Identify
A millet grass. It is erect. It grows from seed every year. It grows about 50 cm high. It forms tillers or new shoots are the base of the stem. The leaves are narrow. They can be 15 cm long. It has 2 to 4 racemes per inflorescence. These are 15 cm long. The grains are very small and usually yellow. They are about 1.5 mm across.
Nutrition Score: 54/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed raw | 11.2 | 1470 | 332 | 7.1 | 0 | — | 8.5 | 0.82 |
| Seeds cooked | 63 | 613 | 145 | 2.9 | 0 | — | 3.5 | 0.61 |
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed. Seed are sown very close together. They probably need a temperature above 25°C to germinate.
Propagation: Seed - best sown in situ, only just covering the seed. Fonio normally germinates 2 - 4 days after sowing and grows rapidly.
Medicinal Uses
Fonio grain is considered to have medicinal properties; it is recommended for lactating women and diabetic people..
Other Uses
The chopped straw is mixed with clay to build the walls of houses. The straw is also used as a fuel for cooking or to produce ash for potash.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Digitaria exilis is a species of grass that is referred to as findi or fundi in areas of Africa such as The Gambia, with the English common names white fonio, fonio millet, hungry rice, and acha rice. It is the most important of a diverse group of wild and domesticated Digitaria species known as fonio that are harvested in the savannas of West Africa. The grains are very small. It has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable use of the land. Fonio has continued to be important locally because it is both nutritious and one of the world's fastest growing cereals, reaching maturity in as little as six to eight weeks. It is a crop that can be relied on in semi-arid areas with poor soils, where rains are brief and unreliable. The small grains make it difficult and time-consuming to remove the husk. Traditional methods include pounding it in a mortar with sand, while more recent methods include a fonio husking machine. The grains are used to make foods such as porridge.
Production
The growing period is 3-4 months. The plants are harvested with a sickle and tied into sheaths. These are dried then threshed and hulled with a mortar. Yields of 600-800 kg per hectare are average. Some varieties reach maturity in 40 days.
Other Information
It is harvested from about 325,000 hectares. It feeds about 3 million people during the most difficult months of the year. It is important in Guinea. It is cultivated.
Notes
There are about 250 Digitaria species. The protein content is only 6-8%.
Names & Synonyms
Acca, Acha, Achras, Afiohoun, Bofinhe, Couscous, Crabgrass, Eboniaye, Efoleb, Fani, Fenhe, Fim, Findi, Findo, Finger grass, Finhe, Fini, Foinye, Fonio, Fonyo, Founde, Fundenyo, Fundi, Fundo, Ipoa, Ipoaka, Ipoe, Ipogninime, Ipordapia, Ipordawan, Ii, pornKpendo, Odote, Orrote, Pei, Pende, Poaji, Podgi, Pohin, Pom, Rote, Sereme, Uante, Udute, Urote, White fonio
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