Editing Teff (section)

==History==
Teff is believed to have originated in [[Ethiopia]] between 4000 BC and 1000&nbsp;BC. Genetic evidence points to ''[[Eragrostis pilosa|E. pilosa]]'' as the most likely wild ancestor.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ingram|first1=Amanda L.|last2=Doyle|first2=Jeff J. |title=The origin and evolution of ''Eragrostis tef'' (Poaceae) and related polyploids: Evidence from nuclear waxy and plastid rps16 |journal=American Journal of Botany |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=116–122 |year=2003 |doi=10.3732/ajb.90.1.116|jstor=4122731 |pmid=21659086}}</ref> A 19th-century identification of teff seeds from an ancient Egyptian site is now considered doubtful; the seeds in question (no longer available for study) are more likely of ''E. aegyptiaca'', a common wild grass in [[Egypt]].<ref name="Germer">{{cite book | first=Renate | last=Germer | year=1985 | title=Flora des pharaonischen Ägypten | publisher=von Zabern | location=Mainz | isbn=3-8053-0620-2}}</ref>
[[File:An Eritrean woman harvesting Teff in Geshinashim..jpg|thumb|An Eritrean woman harvesting Teff in Geshinashim, Eritrea.]]
Teff is the most important commodity produced and consumed in [[Ethiopia]] where the flat pancake-like [[injera]] provides a livelihood for around 6.5 million small farmers in the country.<ref name=CNN>{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/18/africa/ethiopian-superfood-teff/index.html|title=Teff, the Ethiopian superfood that used to be banned|last=Nurse|first=Earl|date=18 December 2015|work=CNN|access-date=2019-03-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190314134639/https://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/18/africa/ethiopian-superfood-teff/index.html|archive-date=2019-03-14}}</ref>  In 2006, the Ethiopian government outlawed the export of raw teff, fearing export-driven domestic shortages like those suffered by South American countries after the explosion of [[quinoa]] consumption in Europe and the US.<ref name="CNN" /><ref name="guardian" />  Processed teff, namely [[injera]], could still be exported and was mainly bought by the Ethiopian and Eritrean [[diaspora]] living in northern Europe, the Middle East and North America.<ref name="CNN" /> After a few years, fears of a domestic shortage of teff in the scenario of an international market opening decreased.<ref name="guardian">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/14/teff-quinoa-ethiopia-boosts-exports-food-africa|title=Teff could be the next quinoa as Ethiopia boosts exports|last=Secorun|first=Laura|date=14 October 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=8 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129012702/https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/oct/14/teff-quinoa-ethiopia-boosts-exports-food-africa|archive-date=2018-11-29|quote=Teff yields have increased by 50% in the last five years, […] and prices have remained steady, prompting the government to partially lift the export ban.}}</ref> Teff yields had been increasing by 40 to 50% over the five previous years while prices had remained stable in Ethiopia.<ref name="CNN" /><ref name="guardian" /> This led the government to partially lift the export ban in 2015. To ensure that the domestic production would not be minimized, the export licenses have only been granted to 48 commercial farmers which had not cultivated the plant before.<ref name="guardian" /> Lack of [[mechanization]] is a barrier to potential increases in teff exports.<ref name="guardian" /> Yet the increasing demand, rising by 7–10% per year, and the subsequent increase in exports is encouraging the country to speed up the modernization of agriculture and is also boosting research.<ref name="guardian" /> Because of its potential as an economic success, a few other countries, including the US and some European countries, are already cultivating teff and selling it on domestic markets.<ref name="guardian" />