Finger millet blast management in East Africa Creating opportunities for improving production and utilization of finger millet

Finger millet, native to East Africa, is entwined in the local culture and traditions. However, in spite of its importance to the livelihoods of millions of small-holder farmers in East Africa, its valuable nutritional and processing properties, the growing demand exceeding supply, and its regional and international trade potential, finger millet has largely been neglected by national and international research organizations and major donors to agricultural research in sub-Saharan Africa. This neglect has contributed to a lack of realization of the potential productivity of finger millet. Increased production, utilization and trade of finger millet in East Africa are currently limited by a number of constraints. The most serious biotic constraint is the blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea. Blast affects finger millet at all growth stages, particularly causing major losses through neck and panicle infections