300px|thumb|right|White fonio in [[Tambacounda Region of southern Senegal]]
Fonio, also sometimes called findi or acha, is the term for two cultivated grasses in the genus Digitaria that are important crops in parts of West Africa. It is a vital food source in many rural areas, especially in the mountains of Fouta Djalon, Guinea, but it is also cultivated in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Senegal. The global fonio market was estimated at 721,400 tonnes in 2020. Guinea annually produces the most fonio in the world, accounting for over 75% of the world's production in 2019. The name fonio (borrowed into English from French) is from Wolof foño. In West Africa, the species black fonio (Digitaria iburua) and white fonio (Digitaria exilis) are cultivated; the latter is the economically more important crop.
Fonio is a glumaceous monocot belonging to the grass family Poaceae and the genus Digitaria. While hundreds of these crabgrass species exist, only a few of them are produced for their grains. It is a small annual herbaceous plant with an inflorescence containing two or three racemes. The racemes have spikelets grouped in twos, threes, or fours, with a sterile and a fertile flower producing the fonio grain. foster rural development, and support sustainable use of the land. fonio is one of the world's fastest-growing cereals, reaching maturity in as little as six to eight weeks. However, it contains considerably more protein compared to D. exilis.
Black fonio is mostly cultivated in rural communities and is rarely sold commercially, even in West African cities. Guinea is the biggest producer of fonio with a production of and a cultivated surface area of in 2021, followed by Nigeria () and Mali ().
Fonio grows in dry climates without irrigation, and is unlikely to be a successful crop in humid regions. It is planted in light (sandy to stony) soils, and will grow in poor soil. Fonio is cultivated at sea level in Gambia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, but it is otherwise mostly cultivated in altitudes ranging between .
Fonio plants are medium in height. Like many other grasses, fonio has a C<sub>4</sub> carbon fixation, which makes it drought tolerant.
Harvest
thumb|Traditional fonio harvest with a sickle, Natitingou, northern Benin
Fonio is labor-intensive to harvest and process. In some regions, the mature fonio plants are uprooted, but the most common method is to cut the straws with knives and sickles which often leads to wounds on the hands. The threshing is then done by trampling on the plants or by beating the plants with rigid rods or more flexible sticks
Gender role
Gender role plays a big part in the cultivation of fonio; tasks are distributed differently between men and women. Women do the weeding, the threshing by trampling, the cleaning as well as the drying and processing, while men do the harvest and the threshing by beating. Half of the cultivation's tasks are exclusively done by women, against 14% for men.
Regarding the macronutrients, the carbohydrate content remains higher when the grains are precooked rather than roasted. The protein content is much lower after milling because the bran that gets removed contains a lot of protein. The highest protein content is achieved when parboiling. The lipid content is increased when roasted and decreased when milled or precooked.
United States
In the United States, Yolélé Foods, led by Senegalese-American chef Pierre Thiam, started importing and selling fonio in 2017. Thiam has stated that he hopes to introduce Americans to the grain while supporting sustainable and traditional agriculture in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Senegal.
European Union
In December 2018, the European Commission approved commercialization of fonio as a novel food in the European Union, after submission by the Italian company Obà Food to manufacture and market new food products. These products include fonio pasta, revealing a desire to change fonio to be more recognizable to the European palate.
Since this initial approval, fonio has gradually become more popular and more accessible in Europe. By 2021, the EU was importing 422 metric tonnes (465.2 tons) of fonio, a significant increase from the 172 metric tonnes (189.6 tons) imported in 2016.
See also
<!-- alphabetical order please WP:SEEALSO -->
<!-- please add a short description WP:SEEALSO, via or -->
<!-- alphabetical order please WP:SEEALSO -->