Over the last century about 75% of the world's crop varieties have been lost, data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggests.
UN researchers say that we now rely on just three crops: wheat, rice and maize.
The fact that poorer nations are almost twice as dependent on these cereals as richer nations has led to the question: are we now too reliant on too few crops?
The Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu, southern India, is home to about 40,000 people.
Scientists have visited the area to see if ancient traditions offer any clues to finding a way out of a future global food crisis.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7247218.stmhttp://www.tve.org/earthreport/Teff is an important food grain in Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it is used to make injera, and less so in India and Australia. Because of its small seeds (less than 1 mm diameter), one can hold enough to sow an entire field in one hand. This property makes teff particularly suited to a seminomadic lifestyle.
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It is adapted to environments ranging from drought stress to waterlogged soil conditions. Maximum teff production occurs at altitudes of 1800 to 2100 m, growing season rainfall of 450 to 550 mm, and a temperature range of 10 to 27 °C. Teff is day length sensitive and flowers best with 12 hours of daylight.
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Cultivation and uses
Teff has been widely cultivated and used in the countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia, India and its colonies, and Australia. Teff accounts for about a quarter of total cereal production in Ethiopia.<2> The grain has a high concentration of different nutrients, a very high calcium content, and high levels of phosphorus, iron, copper, aluminum, barium, and thiamin. A big advantage, the iron from teff is easily absorbed by the body. Teff is high in protein. It is considered to have an excellent amino acid composition (including all 8 essential amino acids for humans) and has lysine levels higher than wheat or barley. Because of this variety, it stimulates the flora of the large intestine. Teff is high in carbohydrates and fiber. It contains no gluten, so it is appropriate for those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
Interest in new crops has led some Dutch farmers to cultivate teff. In 2003, 150 farmers were growing it. By the estimation of the company involved (Soil & Crop Improvement BV), in 2006 there could be 50 km² of this African grain in the Netherlands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TeffTeff has the advantage over wheat that all its blooms will produce seed even if the rains fail. Wheat will produce very little seed if the rains are insufficient after blooming. Thus teff provides the highest yield in dry years, even though wheat provides the
highest average yield. Teff thus provides a safety factor that wheat does not.