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Cultivation and processing
Climate and attributes

Fonio is cultivated in all West Africa as a staple crop. Guinea is the biggest producer of Fonio with a production of 483'906 tons and a cultivated surface area of 590'129 ha in 2021, followed by Nigeria (86609 t) and Mali (47664 t).

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. It is cultivated in altitudes ranging between 400 and 1500 meters. The growth cycle ranges from 70–130 days, depending on variety. It is mostly grown in areas with an average annual rainfall of 900-1000 mm.

They are medium in height. Indeed, D.exilis can reach a heigh of 80 centimeters, and D. iburua a height of 150 centimeters. The ploidy level for the species range from diploid (2n), tetraploid (4n), to hexaploid (6n). Like many other grasses, Fonio has a C4 carbon fixation, which makes it drought tolerant.

Ploughing and sowing

The ploughing is done by the men by hand, animal traction or with tractors. The sowing is generally done by hand by the women, depending on the onset of the rainy season. The Fonio plant grows fast, some landrace reach maturity in 8 weeks. It is however a weak weed competitor at the beginning of its growth, that's why weeding is important in the first development stages.

Harvest

Fonio is labor-intensive to harvest and process. In some regions, the mature fonio plants are uprooted, whereas, the most common method is to cut the straws with knives and sickles, which often leads to wounds on the hands. Women then gather the sheaves into cylindrical stacks or horizontal beams, to store the sheaves and allow them to dry before the threshing without overheating. The threshing is then done by trampling on the plants or by beating the plants with rigid rods or more flexible sticks.

The Fonio plants are prone to lodging, which makes the potential mechanization of the harvest processes difficult.

Dehusking

After the threshing, the Fonio grains are still in their husk and the small grains make husk removal difficult and time-consuming. Traditional methods include pounding it in a mortar with sand, and then separating the grains and sand, or "popping" it over a flame and then pounding it, which yields a toasted-color grain (a technique used among the Akposso). The invention of a simple fonio husking machine offers an easier mechanical way to dehusk.

Gender role

Gender role plays a big part in the cultivation of Fonio, the tasks are distributed differently between the men and the women. The women do the weeding, the threshing by trampling, the cleaning as well as the drying and processing, while the men do the harvest and the threshing by beating. The women role is prevalent in Fonio's production. Indeed 50% of the cultivation's tasks are exclusively done by women, against 14% for the men. The tasks assigned to women require patience and meticulousness, while those assigned to men call for strength.