article · Plants People Planet
Fonio, encompassing Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua, is an indigenous cereal valued in Nigeria for its drought resilience and tolerance to poor soils. Cultivation has nonetheless declined over the past fifty years because of labour-intensive processing, low yields, and competition from other crops. Fieldwork across Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna states documented twenty-one fonio landraces, which farmers differentiate by traits including grain size, husk colour, and maturation speed. While certain landraces remain common, others are already reported as lost. Women are central to cultivating, processing, and trading the crop, but minimal involvement by youth poses a risk to its generational survival. Sustaining this genetic diversity and addressing processing difficulties are presented as necessary steps to support food security and preserve cultural heritage within climate-resilient farming systems.
Fonio provides nutritional value and thrives in poor soils under dry conditions, offering an important buffer against climate change in West African agriculture. Documenting farmer knowledge and surviving landraces protects genetic diversity before more varieties disappear. In addition, identifying labour constraints and the critical role of women shows where post-harvest improvements could directly strengthen rural livelihoods and local food security.
This research provides early-stage ethnobotanical and agronomic data that could inform post-harvest machinery developers and food processors looking to commercialise indigenous, drought-resilient grains. Addressing the bottleneck of labour-intensive processing is essential for creating viable market opportunities. Because the work focuses on seed collection, landrace documentation, and farmer surveys, any downstream product or mechanisation developments remain at an early research and development stage.
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Societal Impact Statement Fonio ( Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua ) cereals are valued for their drought resilience, adaptability to poor soils, and cultural importance. In Nigeria, where both species are cultivated, fonio has declined due to labor‐intensive processing, lower yields, and changing livelihood choices. By documenting 21 landraces (15 D. exilis and 6 D. iburua ), this study highlights the need to conserve farmer‐managed diversity while improving processing and market opportunities. Strengthening fonio's role in Nigerian farming systems can enhance food security, preserve cultural heritage, and promote climate‐resilient agriculture across West Africa. Summary Fonio ( Digitaria exilis and Digitaria iburua ) is a traditional cereal of cultural and nutritional importance in West Africa, and Nigeria is one of the few countries cultivating both species. This study investigated fonio cultivation in Nigeria, focusing on both species. Ethnobotanical interviews and seed collections were conducted in 12 localities across three states (Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna). This approach captured fonio's distribution, farmer classifications, and shifts in cultivation of fonio and other major crops over the past 50 years. Twenty‐one fonio varieties (15 from D. exilis and 6 from D. iburua ) were recorded. Farmers distinguished them by agronomic and morphological features, including husk color, grain size, and maturation time. Prominent landraces included Wandat, Chunriye, and Dinat, while others such as Salla and Har were recalled as lost. Variation in landrace diversity may reflect differences in sampling intensity, with Plateau yielding the highest diversity. Women were central to cultivation, processing, and trade, while youth participation was consistently low. Farmers reported fonio's decline relative to other cereals, citing labor‐intensive processing and the spread of higher yielding crops. Fonio cultivation in Nigeria retains notable landrace diversity maintained through farmer knowledge, though some varieties have disappeared. Women sustain its continuity, while declining youth involvement poses a generational risk. Despite reduced prominence, fonio's persistence underscores its resilience, cultural value, and continuing role in food security. By documenting landrace diversity, cultivation practices, and recent historical changes, the study builds knowledge of this rare indigenous crop and highlights its significance.
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DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.70256
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