My first time walking through the open-air market in the capital, Addis Ababa, the sights and smells of spices, herbs and grains overwhelmed me. I picked up a handful of millet and wondered how toasting it might bring out its earthiness, or how slow-cooking it in a rich broth could make it creamy like risotto. This was the start of a decades-long obsession with the foods of my ancestors and my attempts to bring them into my home and onto my menus.
Months of heavy rain and flooding have battered East African farmland, while blazing heat and drought in southern Africa have left farmers with little to harvest. But a handful of African grains are well suited to difficult planting conditions. Millet, sorghum and teff are delicious, nutritious and quick to grow, even after natural disasters.
As climate change threatens the availability of global staples like wheat, rice and potatoes, we must diversify what's on the plate. And not just for our own consumption. Crops such as millet, teff and fonio can provide a lifeline for farmers struggling against changing climates.
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