00:00:07 Speaker 2
Fonio is a grain that, historically, was cultivated by the Fulani people. The Fulani people are amongst the biggest ethnic group on the entire African continent.
00:00:26 Speaker 2
The heart of the Fonio Belt is in a region called Futa, which is in the north of Guinea.
00:00:37 Speaker 2
The Futa is a very mountainous area, which makes the access to villages in the mountains very difficult.
00:00:48 Speaker 2
Fonio is incredibly tasty, but not only does it taste good, but it is incredibly versatile.
00:01:16 Speaker 2
Farmers tell us that a very important part for them is to sell the grain, to have an income, to buy fish, to buy meat, to pay for basic medical needs.
00:01:37 Speaker 2
Over the years, we've built an extensive network of growers in the Fonio Belt that allow us to source Fonio in a sustainable and ethical way. By buying Fonio, we can make very real and concrete improvements to the quality of lives of these farmers. It's the perfect product for our mission. Terra Ingredients, and that's why I'm so excited about the project, just helps to contribute, even in a small way, to give access to export markets, also tell their story. It's working with specific villages where we're not coming in and buying the grain and leaving. We're forming relationships where, over the long term, we can see and measure changes in those factors of quality of life, whether it's the flax farmer in North Dakota to the organic chickpea farmer in Argentina. We stay with people over the long term. This is where we see relationships over time where positive benefits are achieved. What better way than food to tell a story about where people come from, what they care about, and if we can
00:02:42 Speaker 2
do that at dinner, what better way to do it?
