Teff is a gluten free cereal used to make injera – a spongy flatbread that can be eaten with most meals in Ethiopia. Teff occupies approximately 20% of all cultivated area in the country and accounts 12% of Ethiopian food expenditures in 2011.

And yet: teff remains an ‘orphan crop’, relatively understudied compared to wheat, maize or rice.

To help to close the knowledge gap around teff, we are now publishing Teff farming in Ethiopia. This background literature research was conducted by Laterite in preparation of a project to identify gender factors that influence decision-making on the adoption of good agricultural practices. The study, designed with Tanager in the context of IGNITE, will focus on teff farming households who have been trained through an extension program.

The background brief was prepared by Tessa Ahner-McHaffie and summarizes what has been written about teff in Ethiopia, traditional agricultural practices and how gender plays a role in the value chain. The literature review is complemented with insights from qualitative interviews with 2 Development Agents and 4 teff farmers.

The aim of this brief is to share what we have learned about teff farming in Ethiopia with organizations and institutions working with teff farmers, and researchers focused on agricultural practices and teff.

Full publication:

Teff farming in Ethiopia – a literature review (PDF)

Photo credit: RadimZ, via Wikimedia Commons