Chapters 8.50

8.50-Barley Value Addition

Riley Curnow, University of Guelph, Canada

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Curnow,R. (2022) Barley Value Addition,In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org

Introduction

Barley is a cereal crop grown in temperate climates around the world and is a staple food source in many developing countries. It is the fourth most important cereal in the world and is grown on around 70 million hectares worldwide (Taner Akar, 2004). In particular in Africa, barley is grown in the subtropical regions of South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia (FAOSTAT, 2017). It is a very diverse product that can be used for animal fodder, beer production and is an essential health food. This allows the market for barley to be well priced and, therefore, quite appealing for farmers in regions that can support its growth. The growth of the barley plant involves many advantageous traits including good weed competitor and salt tolerance (Australia, 2017). The salt tolerance trait is a major reason as to why it is grown on more marginal land rather than wheat. This means the crop can be grown over a wider range of soil and it can also be grown on mountain slopes as it was cultivated in the Andes (Taner Akar, 2004). In addition to this, barley has many value adding properties that can be used by a smallholder farmer to increase their profit from the crop. The value adding ideas include beer, flour and soups (including cracked barley). One other idea that is often forgotten is the use the grain or straw for animal feed if the year is unfavourable o produce high quality grains.

Beer production

This is the main value addition idea for smallholder farmers if the malting grade can be attained. Beer production is quite an expensive process but has many market options when the finished product is produced. This product can be sold at an increased price due to its unique location compared to the mainstream countries producing barley for beer production (Canada, USA, Australia). This is a major marketing advantage for barley farmers in Africa. In addition to this, beers made by indigenous people such as ‘tella’ are able to have an elevated price (Kebede, n.d.). Tella is an indigenous beer to Ethiopia and is usually made with teff or sorghum but can be easily substituted with barley. It is traditionally a home brewed beer that can be served warm (Kebede, n.d.).

As already noted, beer production on a small scale can be expensive because of the start-up costs for equipment. The grain needs to be crushed, converted, boiled, separated, cooled and fermented before alcohol is even produced. This requires many separate tanks. Traditional peoples are able to make beer by firstly soaking the grain overnight with water to promote germination. After this has occurred, the grain is ground up manually to produce a rough powder and then soaked overnight again in warm water to produce lactic acid and other characteristics. Finally, the mixture is then cooked, cooled, mixed and placed in a container to be kept warm for several days. Yeasts are not traditionally added as they are present in the grains which produce the alcohol (Lincoln, 2018). A step by step procedure of this process can be found under the link https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/izd8yFIQEc/ under ‘The Traditional Method’.

In addition to this, labour costs need to be taken into consideration. Labour needs depend entirely on the scale of the production. At a small scale the labour costs would not be as high as the liquid only needs to be checked regularly and swapped between tanks which is not labour intensive (Lincoln, 2018) In terms of selling the product, it can be sold at a roadside stand, tourist hotels or urban grocery stores depending on what is most practical for the farmer. A typical setup on the roadside with a table and some simple signs could be used to market the beer and bottled in cheap recycled bottles.

Figure 2. Shows the raw barley grain after harvest.

https://www.graincentral.com/markets/faltering-sa-prompts-contract-washouts-as-wa-consolidates/.

A purchase of something similar to figure 3 would be feasible for a smallholder farmer to be able to start the brewing process (Alibaba.com, n.d.). This was found on the online retailer Alibaba.com and is a realistic starting point for a smallholder farmer in Africa and other developing nations. If successful, more expensive and higher volumes of beer can be brewed in the future.

Figure 3 malted-barley-grain-for-sst?variant=8779503009909

In addition to the production of the beer, there will be some challenges faced by the smallholder farmer. Storage of the beer can be in the form of refrigeration, but this is unrealistic for the smallholder farmer. What can be done is serve the beer fresh from the brew at the start to generate some money that could then go towards refrigeration or bottling of the product. Bottling of the product could add value also by adding attractive packaging to the product. Bottles and labelling of the product can be found at the link https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Logo-Printed-Customized-Glass-Beer-Bottle_60532817673.html?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.381.40935e2dY0Lrgn and it also seen in figure

Figure 4

In terms of storing the seed barley only needs to be stored in a dry place. Transport should not be a major problem as the farmer can sell at a roadside stall or local tourist hotels.

Flour

In addition to beer production, flour production from barley seed could be a very inexpensive value addition idea for a smallholder farmer. In terms of steps required to produce flour, the barley must be dehusked and milled. An inexpensive way of dehusking barley can be achieved by placing the seed heads in a cloth bag and beating them with a shoe (Grains, 2011). A video of how this can be achieved can be found via the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=mfMafKjqRXQ. In terms of milling the grain, an inexpensive barley crusher can be bought from the online retailer Alibaba for ~$25 as seen in figure 5. The flour is stable at room temperature and can be stored for 3-4 months in a dry, cool place.

Figure 5

Flour is the most basic form which could then be used for more elaborate value addition products such as bread, soup, cracked barley, breakfast cereals, crackers, cookies, porridges and cakes/pastries. They can either be sold on the street at a roadside stand or packaged and sold to local restaurants, markets and hotels.

Particularly for a smallholder farmer, all of these food production ideas can be achieved at a small scale as the labour required can be done by hand with relatively no set up costs. All of the ingredients needed for the production of these items can be sourced locally and are relatively cheap. As seen in figure 6, a relatively cheap cooking set can be purchased to produce all of value adding ideas mentioned above (Alibaba.com, n.d.).

Figure 6

Labour costs can be covered by the farmers themselves with no employees, depending on the size of operation. Other capital costs such as refrigeration can be deferred until a business grows beyond the local market.

One major value addition in this category is the making of ‘Injera’, a flatbread that is indigenous to Ethiopia. Injera is usually

made with teff but can be supplemented with the flour of barley. It is made with barley flour and the fermentation process is triggered by the addition of ‘ersho ‘. The mixture is fermented for 2-3 days and then baked (food, 2018).

For the production of these two value adding ideas, most of the essential equipment needed such as bottles, labels and other equipment can be found at the online retailer Alibaba.com. Useful resources include the craft Beer & Brewing website and the Ethiopian food website which are listed in the References. The Beer & Brewing website shows how to prepare the seed for beer production, and the Ethiopian food website explain what Injera is and how it is made in a step by step process.

Food for thought idea

An idea to show the diverse range of uses for barley is the use of it for animal fodder. If there is a late season storm or environmental conditions did not allow high quality barley to be produced, then the low grade barley that is harvested could be sold as fodder. This is not value adding, but is showing the range of markets and uses that barley is able to target.

References

1. Australia, A. (2017, June 24). Barley. Retrieved from AgriFutures Australia : https://www.agrifutures.com.au/farm-diversity/barley/

2. FAOSTAT. (2017). FAOSTAT. Retrieved from FAOSTAT: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/

3. food, E. (2018). Ethiopian food . Retrieved from What is Injera?: https://howtocookgreatethiopian.com/what-is-injera/

4. Grains, I. (2011, March 19). How do I thresh grains on a small scale. Retrieved from Island Grains : http://www.islandgrains.com/how-do-i-thresh-grain-on-a-small-scale/

5. Kebede, L. (n.d.). Brewing tella. Retrieved from Lakech Kebede: http://www.lakechkebede.com/my-humble-kitchen/tella-ethiopian-style-black-beer/

6. Lincoln, A. (2018). Africa, traditional brewing in. Retrieved from Beer & Brewing: https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/izd8yFIQEc/

7. Taner Akar, M. A. (2004, July 15). Barley Post-harvest Operations- FAO, Rome Retrieved from Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/inpho/docs/Post_Harvest_Compendium_-_BARLEY.pdf

8. Alibaba.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/20l-Home-Beer-Brewing-Equipment-Of_60724902228.html?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.67.2a7e952eT3mILF

9. https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Logo-Printed-Customized-Glass-Beer-Bottle_60532817673.html?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.381.40935e2dY0Lrgn

10. 5https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Home-Brewings-Stainless-2-Rollers-Steel_60688280439.html?spm=a2700.7724857.normalList.9.51746104vvREgi&s=p

11. Alibaba.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Cast-iron-camping-oven-set-7pcs_60801485354.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normalList.30.49485e04SNcEMA&s=p