Although finger millet has formed a crucial part for the local food culture in Uganda, various factors (including the long civil war in the country’s north and the introduction of the more-profitable foreign millet varieties) have led to the gradual disappearance of many local millet varieties. Emeru, emiroit, engweny, and ebega are four traditional finger millet varieties that have endured the test of time and continue to be cultivated by a small group of people from the Teso ethnic group residing in Kyere, a town in the eastern Ugandan district of Serere.
It is during the period of the first rains when millet is planted alongside sorghum and corn, and both men and women take part in all the activities involved in its production. Taking place in July and August, the harvest is a festive occasion where the local population enjoys roasted goat and washes it down with lots of local millet beer. Teso Kyere finger millet varieties are distinguished by brown or dark yellow grains, and they may have individual or joint tiny spikes.
The ebega and engweny varieties have tall stalks and are typically used to prepare traditional specialties such as atap (polenta-like dish) and akuma (a type of porridge), while the drought-resistant emoru and emiroit are usually used in the preparation of local beer (ajon).
