The Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) crops research team is collaborating with Bira Biro Import & Export Enterprise Ltd. to explore the feasibility of teff grain cultivation on the Canadian Prairies.
The origins of teff date back to 4000 B.C. in Ethiopia where it serves as a staple for making flour. Teff grain is gluten-free and high in protein, according to experts. It’s also a self-pollinated, annual, warm-season cereal crop.
OCCI researchers planted teff in a heated greenhouse and on small plots of land. Early findings indicate there are many unknowns related to cultivating teff on the Canadian Prairies as a specialty crop.