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Intsormil’S Global Impact: A Revolution In West African Sorghum Production, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Sorghum and pearl millet are the staple grains for millions of people around the world, especially those residing in the semiarid margins of agricultural sustainability. For this reason, INTSORMIL has been working in the semiarid regions of Africa and Central America where it has been helping sorghum and millet farmers achieve the status of surplus grain production and the economic, social and health benefits thus provided. What impact has INTSORMIL had on the lives of these sorghum and millet farmers?

To determine the global impact of the USAID funded INTSORMIL program, Battelle, an independent agency, was chosen to conduct an …

University Research Program Sees Drop In Funding, Zach Pluhacek

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

A program headquartered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that uses science to assist economically stressed nations will receive $9 million throughout five years through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The agreement, announced Friday morning by the UNL Office of Research and Graduate Studies, will significantly decrease the annual funding the International Sorghum and Millet Collaborative Research Support Program, or INTSORMIL, has received in recent years.

Sorghum Flour In The El Salvador Baking Industry, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The El Salvador baking industry is dependent on imported wheat which results in a loss of valuable foreign exchange. In response, CENTA (Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria y Forestal) scientists with support from INTSORMIL have produced sorghum varieties which have the physical and chemical qualities making them suitable for flour which can be used as a partial substitute for wheat flour in the baking industry, thus decreasing the cost of baked goods. CENTA food technician, Fidelia Herrera pioneered the use of sorghum flour in El Salvador and began helping village bakers utilize sorghum flour back in the 70’s.

To test …

Harina De Sorgo En La Industria Panificadora De El Salvador, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

La industria panificadora de El Salvador depende de las importaciones de trigo, lo cual ocasiona una pérdida considerable de divisas. En respuesta a esto, los investigadores del Centro Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria y Forestal (CENTA) con ayuda del INTSORMIL han venido produciendo variedades de sorgo con cualidades físicas y químicas adecuadas para sustituir parcialmente la harina de trigo, reduciendo de esta manera los costos de producción de las panaderías. La Señora Fidelia Herrera, técnologa del CENTA fue la primera en tomar el liderazgo sobre la necesidad del uso de la harina de sorgo en El Salvador, al ayudar durante los …

Panadería “Pan Rey,” El Salvador Prueba Harina De Sorgo, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Pan Rey, una panadería grande y comercializada en Quezaltepeque, El Salvador C. A. viene experimentando con la harina de sorgo como substituto de la harina de trigo, y en colaboración con el Laboratorio de Tecnología de Alimentos del CENTA (Centro Nacional de Tecnología agropecuaria) con el fín de promover el uso de la harina de sorgo en las panaderías grandes. Muchas de las panaderías pequeñas del sector rural, como la panadería de Clemencia Barrera en San Rafael Cedros, El Salvador (ver Reporte No.5 de INTSORMIL), han substituido la harina de trigo por la de sorgo durante muchos años. Sin embargo, …

Pan Rey Bakery, El Salvador Tests Sorghum Flour, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Pan Rey, the “Bread King,” a large commercial bakery located at Quezaltepeque, El Salvador is testing sorghum flour as a substitute for wheat. The Pan Rey Bakery collaborates with the CENTA Food Technology Laboratory in a project to promote the use of sorghum flour in large bakeries. Many small, village level bakeries, such as the bakery of Clemencia Barrera in San Rafael Cedro, El Salvador (see INTSORMIL Report No. 5), have been using sorghum flour as a substitute for wheat for many years. However, use of sorghum flour on a large scale in the big commercial bakeries, such as Pan …

Harina De Sorgo Como Sustituto Del Trigo En Panaderías Rurales De El Salvador, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

El grano de sorgo está generando mucho interés en el escenario de la comida sana. Por que? La respuesta es muy sencilla: la harina de grano de sorgo, NO CONTIENE GLUTEN. Esto es muy importante para aquellas personas intolerantes al gluten (padecimiento celíaco). El sorgo contiene un alto contenido de antioxidantes (que ayudan a prevenir el cáncer) y fibra insoluble (lenta digestibilidad), con cantidades relativamente pequeñas de fibra soluble. La proteína y el almidón del endospermo del sorgo son digeridos más lentamente si se les compara con otros cereales. El bajo porcentaje de digestibilidad en los productos preparados a base …

Sorghum Flour As A Substitute For Wheat In El Salvador Village Bakeries, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Grain sorghum is generating new excitement on the health food scene. Why? For one reason, flour milled from grain sorghum has NO GLUTEN! That’s important to those people with an intolerance to gluten-containing products (Celiac disease). Sorghum is high in antioxidants (cancer prevention) and insoluble fiber (slowly digested), with relatively small amounts of soluble fiber. The protein and starch in sorghum endosperm are more slowly digested than other cereals. The slower rate of digestibility of sorghum products may be beneficial to diabetics.

So how is sorghum flour used in baking? It can be substituted for wheat, rice or soybean flour …

Intsormil: International Expertise Benefits U.S. Sorghum And Pearl Millet Producers, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

While USAID is focused on international assistance and outreach, the Collaborative Research Support Programs (CRSPs) also benefit farmers in the United States. By establishing strong relationships with national agricultural research systems in other nations, U.S. research collaborators gain access to knowledge and expertise in crops native to these countries. Thus, the CRSPs effectively operate as a two way street, extending U.S. scientific and research expertise to collaborating nations while receiving valuable insight and access to germplasm from other production environments for U.S. agricultural deployment.

INTSORMIL CRSP principal investigators, located at leading U.S. universities (Kansas State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas …

Creating New Markets For African Sorghum Farmers, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

Lack of international markets for locally grown cereals such as sorghum is a major constraint to economic development for West African farmers. Lack of international markets has traditionally resulted in price declines in normal and good weather years since consumers can only eat so much of a staple. Once consumers have enough of the staple, prices collapse, as there are no other markets. These price declines discourage farmers from using higher input levels and therefore achieving productivity gains. Hence, facilitating the growth of the food and feed processing industries for the basic staples is critical for the rapid economic growth …

Intsormil Marketing Strategies Increase Farm Income And Promote Technology Introduction In West Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

The World Bank’s 2006 Human Development Report ranks Niger as the world’s second-poorest nation. Most of its 11 million citizens live in semi-arid grasslands and survive on subsistence cultivation of millet, sorghum, and other drought-resistant crops. Producers sell their crops in September and October, the peak months of the harvest season, when local markets can be flooded with grain and prices are low. These farmers often must then purchase additional food supplies in the “hungry months” of June and July when food grains reach much higher prices.

INTSORMIL’s West Africa Marketing-Processing Project, funded by USAID/WARP, is accelerating the adoption of …

Intsormil Responds To Emerging Grain Markets In West Africa, Intsormil

INTSORMIL Impacts and Bulletins

According to Lloyd Rooney, Distinguished Professor of Food Science at Texas A&M, “A consistent, high quality grain supply is the first prerequisite for the development of the food processing industry in West Africa.” The International Sorghum and Millet (INTSORMIL) Collaborative Research Support Program in West Africa is helping farmers produce a consistent supply of high quality sorghum and millet that meets the requirements of industry.

INTSORMIL’s Marketing-Processing Project, funded by USAID/WARP and directed by Botorou Ouendeba, Nigerien millet breeder and former Coordinator of the West and Central African Millet Research Network is responding to the emerging market demand by promoting …