Changing weather patterns are a great concern. Global warming is changing our lives in many ways. So let us tell you more about Teff and how it might be a better planting option.

This versatile plant can be used in so many ways.  Let’s talk about human consumption first.

Teff is a cereal grain from Ethiopia and Eritrea in Africa. It’s an ancient grain believed to have been domesticated around 4000 and 1000 BCE.

Teff is the smallest grain in the world. The grains are round and look similar to millet.

There are lots of different varieties of teff. Depending on the variety, the teff grain can be red, ivory, or dark brown. ‌

Teff Flour Nutrition

Because teff grains are so small, it’s hard to remove the bran and germ during milling. Because of this, teff flour is almost always whole-grain flour. 

Teff’s nutritional content can be different, depending on the variety you use. Whole grain teff is packed with nutrients, including:

Protein

Whole grain teff is 11% protein. This is similar to wheat, maize, barley, and pearl millet. The protein in whole grain teff is higher than in rye, sorghum, and brown rice.

Amino acids

Since teff is high in protein, it has lots of essential amino acids. Protein and amino acids are important as they are the building blocks of your tissues.

It’s specifically high in Lysine, which is low in other grains. Your body can’t make lysine, so you must get it from foods. Lysine helps your body convert energy, lowers cholesterol, forms collagen, and may help your body absorb calcium.

Fiber

Teff is higher in fibre than other grains. This is because the bran and the germ are usually intact. Getting lots of fibre can help prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, bowel disease, kidney disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Minerals

Health Benefits of Teff Flour

Teff has more calcium and iron than most grains. There are conflicting reports about how much iron it has, but 100 grams of teff bread has about 3.3mg of iron. This is 45% of your daily recommended iron intake.

Gut Health

Teff is naturally gluten-free. One of the common problems with gluten-free foods is that they’re often missing vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Since teff is packed with nutrients, this might be a safe and more nutritious option to add to your diet. 

Teff is high in dietary fibre, with high levels of insoluble fibre,in particular. This type of fibre stays mostly undigested in your gut. This causes your stool to bulk up and can help with regular bowel movements.  The insoluble fibre in Teff can feed the bacteria in your gut. This is called a prebiotic. A healthy balance of gut bacteria is important for good health.

Higher Iron Levels

Iron helps carry oxygen throughout your body, and it is an essential mineral. Eating teff can help you get enough iron and avoid iron deficiency. 

In one study, eating teff helped pregnant women avoid low iron levels. Another study showed that exercising women had better iron levels from eating teff. 

Now that you know how Teff can be beneficial for food production, Let’s talk about animal feed.

Teff benefits for livestock

The use of hay and pasture crops to optimise livestock production has long been an established practice in South Africa. Whether used for grazing or for haymaking, these crops can also double as a supplementary feed source. In this regard, Teff and Lucerne are well-known stalwarts.

As an annual summer crop, Teff is undoubtedly the most popular hay crop cultivated by livestock producers, but it can also serve as a grazing crop. Teff can rightly be regarded as the best annual hay and pasture crop in South Africa.

Cultivation & haymaking

Because the leaves are fine, teff is very popular as a hay crop. Teff hay has a high nutritional value and, depending on the growth stage at which it is cut, its protein content tends to vary between 15 and 25%.

The period from establishment to the first cut can be as short as six weeks. After cutting, the material dries off quickly and can be baled quickly. This reduces the risk of rain damaging the quality of the hay.

Teff can produce two to three cuts per season. Its protein content is at its highest shortly before going to seed, which is also the best time to cut. Since it is a lush growing crop, it is advisable to cut teff before it starts to lodge.

The optimal planting window is from September to November, as soon as the soil temperature reaches 15°C. Some 15kg of seed per hectare is needed to establish Teff. Seeds can be planted with a teff planter or broadcast. The crop grows actively in summer until the end of March, after which growth begins to decline once cooler weather sets in. The crop dies off at the onset of winter.

Teff can be grown in almost any soil. However, it is sensitive to residual atrazine (applied as a herbicide in the previous crop), especially in soils with a high clay content.

Although fertiliser promotes growth, Teff’s nutritional requirements are quite low. Potassium (K) application is key, and 150kg K/ha should be applied for every 10t/ha of dry matter removed from the field. The crop also responds well to a top dressing of nitrogen (N).

Many livestock producers cut teff twice during the growing season for hay production, after which their livestock graze the regrowth in autumn. Teff can also be utilised before it dries down in wrapped silage bales.

We are happy to share the amazing benefits of this superfood, Teff, with you. We hope that farmers all over will recognise the benefits of Teff and utilise it.

Icon Foods International is a leading supplier of high-quality agricultural products in Africa and internationally.

If you are interested in planting Teff, contact us.

Article courtesy of Pannar

Article courtesy of WebMD