Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is an annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and semiarid areas in Africa and Asia.

[3] Interesting crop characteristics of finger millet are the ability to withstand cultivation at altitudes over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level, its high drought tolerance, and the long storage time of the grains.

It was claimed to have been found in an Indian archaeological site dated to 1800 BCE (Late Bronze Age);[4] however, this was subsequently demonstrated to be incorrectly identified cleaned grains of hulled millets.

[7] By 1996, cultivation of finger millet in Africa was declining rapidly because of the large amount of labor it required, with farmers preferring to grow nutritionally-inferior but less labor-intensive crops such as maize, sorghum, and cassava.

The majority of worldwide finger millet farmers grow it rainfed, although yields often can be significantly improved when irrigation is applied.

Its ability to bear waterlogging is limited, so good drainage of the soils and moderate water-holding capacity are optimal.

[10] Finger millet monocrops grown under rainfed conditions are most common in drier areas of Eastern Africa.

Tropical Central Africa supports scattered regions of finger millet intercropping mostly with legumes, but also with cassava, plantain, and vegetables.

[11] In East and Southern Africa, the closely related species Eleusine indica (common name Indian goose grass) is a severe weed competitor of finger millet.

[13] Cultural measures to control finger millet blast suggested by ICRISAT for Eastern Africa include crop rotations with nonhost crops such as legumes, deep ploughing under of finger millet straw on infected fields, washing of field tools after use to prevent dissemination of the pathogen to uninfected fields, weed control to reduce infections by weed hosts, and avoiding of high plant densities to impede the pathogen dispersal from plant to plant.

[11][14] Striga, a parasitic weed which occurs naturally in parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia, can severely affect the crop and yield losses in finger millet and other cereals by 20 to 80%.

[18] Another pathogen in finger millet cultivation is the fungus Helminthosporium nodulosum, causing leaf blight.

However, finger millet is difficult to mill due to the small size of the seeds and because the bran is bound very tightly to the endosperm.

The malted finger millet can be used as a substrate to produce for example gluten-free beer or easily digestible food for infants.

Finger millet is a staple grain in many parts of India, especially Karnataka, where it is known as ragi (from Kannada ರಾಗಿ rāgi).

Satva, pole (dosa), bhakri, ambil (a sour porridge), and pappad are common dishes made using finger millet.

In Karnataka, finger millet is generally consumed in the form of a porridge called ragi mudde in Kannada.

In the Malnad region of Karnataka, the whole ragi grain is soaked and the milk is extracted to make a dessert known as keelsa.

A type of flat bread is prepared using finger millet flour (called ragi rotti in Kannada) in Northern districts of Karnataka.

Ragi is called koozh – a staple diet in farming communities, eaten along with raw onions and green chillies.

In Kerala, puttu, a traditional breakfast dish, can be made with ragi flour and grated coconut, which is then steamed in a cylindrical steamer.

In some parts of Kumaon region the ragi flour is used to make various snacks like namkeen sev, mathri and chips.

The flour is made into flatbreads, including thin, leavened dosa and thicker, unleavened roti.

In Nepal, a thick dough (ḍhĩḍo) made of millet flour (kōdō) is cooked and eaten by hand.

The dough, on other hand, can be made into thick bread (rotee) spread over flat utensil and heating it.

In Nepal, the National Plant Genetic Resource Centre at Khumaltar maintains 877 accessions (samples) of Nepalese finger millet (kodo).

[29][30] In Sri Lanka, finger millet is called kurakkan and is made into kurakkan roti – an earthy brown thick roti with coconut and thallapa – a thick dough made of ragi by boiling it with water and some salt until like a dough ball.

Ragi malt porridge is made from finger millet which is soaked and shadow dried, then roasted and ground.