Combating Food Insecurity through Sorghum
Sorghum, a drought-resistant, nutritious and gluten-free grain, has real potential for fighting world hunger and malnutrition.
Can sorghum save the world? Maybe not all by itself, but it could certainly help.
Consider the benefits of sorghum. It鈥檚 impressively drought resistant and rich in protein and essential minerals, and its versatility can benefit growers in several ways, especially in developing countries. But sorghum isn鈥檛 perfect. It can be slow to digest, it鈥檚 viewed in some markets as a low-status food, and it can be poisonous to livestock under certain conditions.
In a world threatened by climate change, especially in regions that most need viable drought-proof crops to improve food security, sorghum鈥檚 pros far outweigh its cons. And scientists and public officials are making real strides in boosting its benefits even further.
Super sorghum
Sorghum, also called jowar or milo, was first domesticated some 8,000 years ago in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the world鈥檚 fifth most widely cultivated cereal after maize, rice, wheat and barley. Almost grown around the world, however, is used for animal feed and forage, as an ingredient in alcoholic beverages, and to make biofuels.
The U.S. grew the most sorghum鈥攁bout 11.3 million metric tons in, about 20 percent of total global production鈥攂ut just 3 percent of U.S. production went to food for people. Of the next four top producers, three are in Africa鈥擭igeria, Sudan and Ethiopia鈥攁nd much of the sorghum grown there is destined for human consumption, with what鈥檚 left over used as animal forage. (See 鈥淭op Sorghum Producers.鈥)
And sorghum鈥檚 value as food is undisputed. Simply put, . A cup of this healthy grain delivers 22 grams of protein, or 43 percent of the recommended daily amount, plenty of carbohydrates, and half the recommended daily amount of iron and phosphorous. It鈥檚 also a good source of niacin, thiamin, magnesium, copper, calcium, and potassium, and it is a gluten-free grain.
Sorghum is nutritious. A cup delivers 22 grams of protein, or 43 percent of the recommended daily amount, plenty of carbohydrates, and half the recommended amount of iron and phosphorous.
鈥淪orghum is rich in energy, protein and most micronutrients,鈥 says Dr. , a principal research scientist at India鈥檚 International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). 鈥淚t is superior to rice and wheat for most nutrients and fares at par with corn.鈥
Scientists are working on improving sorghum鈥檚 nutritional value even further in hopes of combating micronutrient deficiency, a challenge for many in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where up to 80 percent of the population in some countries is affected by the lack of key nutrients. The project (ABS), which began in 2005, is using biotechnology to create sorghum varieties containing higher levels of beta carotene, zinc and iron that the body can absorb more efficiently. ABS is supported by Africa Harvest, 精东影业 Agriscience鈩, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.
And because the protein in sorghum is digested slowly, researchers are developing varieties that are lower in tannins and phytic acids, which are present in varying degrees in different sorghum varieties. Tannins contain health-promoting antioxidant properties, but they also give off a bitter taste and can decrease the speed of protein intake, while phytates reduce protein鈥檚 digestibility.
Resilience, fortified
The hope of sorghum rests on its drought resistance when it comes to being grown in arid climates. That鈥檚 important as the world grapples with climate change. Indeed, there are sorghum varieties that can be grown with as little as 300mm (about a foot) of annual rainfall or irrigation, which is important as sub-Saharan Africa becomes more arid. 鈥淪orghum is much more drought tolerant than rice, wheat, [or] maize,鈥 says ICRISAT鈥檚 Kumar.
Researchers have long known that certain sorghum genes naturally turn on or off depending upon the amount of water that鈥檚 available. To study which varieties do better in arid climates, the in Parlier, Calif., uses drones to measure plant height and the biomass of new sorghum varieties. 鈥淭he key issue with climate change is you anticipate it getting hotter and dryer,鈥 says Jeff Dahlberg, the center鈥檚 director. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 an opportunity for sorghum.鈥
Other research efforts focus on plant health, and can range from controlling Striga, known as witchweed, which can crowd out the crop, to managing pests such as the sorghum shoot fly and stem borer.
Supply and demand
As healthy as sorghum is, it is of little use in developing countries if people don鈥檛 want to eat it. That鈥檚 the biggest constraint when it comes to increasing production in Africa and other developing countries. In many countries, Dahlberg notes, the very poor traditionally eat millet and then switch to sorghum as their income grows. But as it grows even further, they often move on to more expensive foods with higher status鈥攃orn, then rice, then wheat. So if the supply of sorghum is to grow, demand among people with more income, and especially in urban areas, must be increased in order to provide a strong market for sorghum farmers.
This is where marketing can help. ICRISAT鈥檚 Kumar is a firm believer in the role of national governments in encouraging people to continue to eat sorghum. For instance, in India, a new , designed to encourage consumers to eat both millet and sorghum, began in 2018. Dahlberg offers the example of a get-back-to-ancient-grains movement in Senegal. Initiatives like these point to the development of more ready-to-eat, processed sorghum products such as ready-to-cook cereals and flatbreads throughout Africa and South Asia.
鈥淭he key element to increasing demand in Africa will be the development of stable, more industrialized usage of sorghum in broader food and beverage products,鈥 says Tim Dalton, the director of the at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. 鈥淔armers need to have trust in the market, and processors need to be reassured that there is a stable supply of grain for their needs.鈥
Sorghum鈥檚 versatility鈥攖he fact that it can be used not only as food for people but also as feed and forage for animals鈥攃ould also increase demand in Africa, providing farmers with more-stable markets for their crops. Some sorghum naturally produces prussic acid, which can be poisonous to livestock when used as pasture or if it鈥檚 not cured properly. But using the right sorghum varieties and managing when sorghum is used for forage can negate these effects.
Taken together, the benefits of sorghum far outweigh the drawbacks. Florentino Lopez, the executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture鈥檚 in Lubbock, Texas, calls sorghum 鈥渁 workhorse that can provide a lot of stability in a lot of different areas. It鈥檚 very easy to interchange it and to use in a variety of different marketplaces.鈥
鈥淲e are already experiencing climate change, and sorghum is one crop that has a lot of resilience,鈥 concludes ICRISAT鈥檚 Kumar. 鈥淚 see great hope for sorghum.鈥
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