Teff is the star ingredient of Ethiopian cuisine, yet this grain is also a victim of biopiracy- the unethical exploitation of indigenous knowledge and biological resources. In this episode, we meet Yonas Alemu, a man who is committed to inverting this trend by modernizing teff production.
“The fact that we are being left behind. And that Ethiopia, its farmers and the community are not benefiting at all from teff is something we should not accept. And personally, I cannot accept”. Yonas Alemu is an Ethiopian entrepreneur with a commitment: helping Ethiopian farmers benefit from the commercialisation of teff, the world’s smallest grain, native to the Horn of Africa.
In this episode, we travelled to Ethiopia to meet Alemu and learn more about how his teff-processing business, Lovegrass, is fighting against biopiracy – the practice of exploiting indigenous knowledge without proper authorisation.
From Lovegrass’s warehouse to the teff fields, we delved into the challenges that Ethiopians face in producing this native crop and explored possible solutions. And, as always, local gastronomy played a key role in our journey. This time we tasted chechebsa, an Ethiopian breakfast dish crafted with teff.
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