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Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Pethan assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 6 countries crop symbol: Botswana

Sorghum

Sorghum bicolor

Family: Poaceae

On our map this plant appears in 6 countries and ranks highest in: Botswana, South Sudan, Chad, Somalia, Niger, Sudan.

Sorghum is a tall annual grass growing 2–4 m high, with broad leaves and compact panicles of small, round grains that may be white, red or brown. It originated in Africa and is one of the world’s most drought- and heat-tolerant cereals, so it thrives where maize fails. Sorghum flour is cooked into a thick porridge and a fermented gruel, and malted grain is brewed into traditional beer. The stalks are used as fodder and building material.

Description from: Botswana.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Botswana no. 3 of 8 native

    Sorghum ear on the coat of arms of Botswana

    Sorghum, mabele in Setswana, is the foundation of Botswana’s traditional cuisine – it is used to make bogobe porridge and bojalwa beer.

  2. South Sudan no. 3 of 5 native

    Sorghum is grown on almost every farm in South Sudan, and pastoral peoples such as the Dinka combine growing it with cattle herding. Sorghum porridge with milk or sauce is the everyday food of millions of people.

  3. Chad no. 4 of 8 native

    Sorghum, together with millet, is Chad’s main cereal. A particular tradition is berbéré – sorghum transplanted in the dry season onto clay floodplains which hold moisture for a long time after the waters recede, allowing a harvest without…

  4. Somalia no. 5 of 5 native

    Sorghum is the staple cereal of farmers in the Bay and Bakool regions, home to the Rahanweyn clans; grown without irrigation and dependent on the rains, it decides whether famine threatens in a given year.

  5. Niger no. 6 of 8 native

    In Niger sorghum is usually grown together with millet and cowpeas, especially on heavier soils in the valleys. Its flour is cooked into a thick tuwo porridge, and the sweet stems of some varieties are chewed like sugarcane.

  6. Sudan no. 6 of 10 native

    Sudan is one of Africa’s largest sorghum producers, and dura is the staple food of most of the population – kisra is baked from fermented batter, and the flour is cooked into a thick porridge, asida.