Millets - A powerful ally in fighting climate change & food security

Millets emerge as a potent weapon in combating climate change and enhancing food security. These resilient grains require minimal water and thrive in diverse climates, mitigating agricultural strain. Rich in nutrients and adaptable to various cuisines, millets offer sustainable solutions to global food challenges while promoting biodiversity and resilience in agriculture.

Professor Wally Broecker's poignant words, "Climate is an ill-tempered beast, and we are poking it with sticks," resonate more deeply than ever in today's world. The looming specter of climate change poses an existential threat, manifested through rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and heightened food insecurity. These challenges aren't distant prophecies; they're unfolding before our very eyes, with floods, droughts, and extreme weather events becoming distressingly common.

To confront these imminent dangers, we must undergo a profound paradigm shift towards resilience-based agriculture. This entails aligning our practices with nature rather than opposing it, embracing agro-ecological approaches. The recent 2022 IPCC report, ratified by 195 countries, underscores this urgent imperative, stressing the importance of locally adapted crops and sustainable methodologies.

For regions like Africa, Asia, Central, and South America, the cultivation of indigenous crops such as millets stands as a shining example of an ecosystem-based strategy. By leveraging crops ingrained in our local cultures and landscapes, we can forge a more sustainable path forward, bolstering resilience and ensuring food security in the face of a capricious climate.

Millets, indeed, represent a resilient and nutritious grain indigenous to many regions, offering a promising solution for addressing climate challenges and enhancing food security. Their ability to thrive in harsh environments with minimal water requirements underscores their potential in the face of climate change. Moreover, millets boast superior nutritional value compared to many mainstream crops, making them a valuable asset in combating malnutrition and promoting healthy diets.

Reflecting on my own childhood memories, I recall the rich cultural significance of millets, as they were staple ingredients in many traditional dishes served by my grandparents. However, the gradual shift away from millets in favor of other crops mirrors a broader trend affecting food systems and nutrition security globally.

As we navigate the complexities of modern agriculture and food production, it's essential to recognize the importance of preserving traditional crops like millets. Embracing these resilient grains not only contributes to climate resilience but also honors cultural heritage and promotes healthier diets for future generations.

‍History

Millets, a diverse family of small-seeded grasses, boast a rich history spanning over 7,000 years. Widely cultivated in the semi-arid tropics across the globe, these nutrient-rich grains have served as staple foods for millennia, particularly in regions of Africa and Asia. Renowned for their exceptional nutritional profile, millets are packed with calcium, fiber, protein, vitamins, and micronutrients, earning them the moniker of "nutraceuticals" due to their superfood potential.

Adapted to thrive in dry, hot climates, millets have long been valued for their resilience and productivity. Remarkably, 97% of millet production occurs in developing countries. Their innate drought tolerance and adaptability make them well-suited for future agricultural practices aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Beyond their nutritional benefits, millets play a crucial role in promoting biodiversity and sustainability in farming systems. By encouraging diverse cropping systems, millets contribute to improved soil health and ecosystem stability. Additionally, their high nutritional content presents a valuable tool in combating malnutrition, particularly in vulnerable communities where access to nutrient-rich foods is limited.

In essence, millets represent a sustainable and resilient crop with immense potential to address food security challenges, promote biodiversity, and improve nutrition outcomes, making them a cornerstone of future agricultural practices.

A Forgotten Legacy

The historical significance of millets in human diets is undeniable, with evidence of their consumption dating back thousands of years. From ancient Korean pottery dating to the Middle Jeulmun Pottery Period (around 3,500–2,000 BC) to references in Indian scriptures like the oldest Yajurveda texts, millets have been integral to human nutrition since antiquity, predating even the Indian Bronze Age (4,500 BC).

However, in recent decades, a shift in agricultural priorities has led to a decline in millet production and consumption. The advent of modernization and the Green Revolution emphasized high-yielding crops like rice and wheat, overshadowing the cultivation and consumption of millets. Several factors have contributed to this decline in millet consumption, including changing tastes and preferences, rapid urbanization, and increasing incomes. Additionally, challenges such as the longer cooking duration required for millets, the lack of value-added millet-based products, and the negative social connotations associated with millets as "poor man's food" have further hindered their popularity.

Government policies that favor rice and wheat production have exacerbated the decline in millet cultivation and consumption. While these policies aimed to boost food security, they have come at the cost of reduced agro-diversity, diminished nutritional security, and a loss of cultural connection to traditional foods.

The shift away from millets, while initially praised for its role in enhancing food security, has underscored the importance of preserving agro-diversity and promoting the consumption of nutritious, culturally significant foods like millets. Efforts to revive millet cultivation and consumption can help address these challenges, promoting nutritional security, preserving cultural heritage, and fostering sustainable food systems.

Before the Green Revolution, millets constituted approximately 40 percent of all cultivated grains, surpassing both wheat and rice in production. However, since the advent of the Green Revolution, the production of rice doubled, and wheat production tripled. Vilas A. Tonapi, Director of the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), lamented that despite its perceived benefits, the Green Revolution overlooked millets and instead focused on boosting rice and wheat production. This narrow focus has led to a lack of diversity in our food systems, particularly in terms of nutritional value, signaling a concerning trend in dietary habits.

In the face of climate change, which disrupts weather patterns and poses challenges to traditional agriculture, millets are experiencing a resurgence as a beacon of hope. Their inherent drought tolerance and low water requirements position them as an ideal crop for confronting a future marked by uncertain rainfall patterns. Moreover, their diverse nutritional profile offers a much-needed alternative to the nutrient-deficient diets prevalent in many parts of the world.

As global agriculture grapples with the impacts of climate change, the revival of millets represents a promising strategy for enhancing food security, promoting dietary diversity, and building resilience in the face of environmental challenges. By embracing millets, we can tap into their potential to provide sustenance for a rapidly changing world while preserving cultural heritage and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Climate Change Threatens Food Security:

The recent IPCC report presents a grim outlook, highlighting the threats posed by rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and escalating sea levels to food production and access, particularly in vulnerable regions. This presents a significant challenge to global food security and nutrition, impacting millions worldwide.

In this context, millets, often referred to as "nutri-cereals," emerge as a beacon of hope. These resilient grains possess unique characteristics that render them more robust in the face of environmental stresses compared to major cereals such as rice and wheat. Research conducted by Li and Brutnell in 2011 illustrates that transitioning from water-intensive crops like rice to millets could potentially save billions of cubic meters of water annually, leading to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Millets exhibit distinctive features such as short stature, dense root systems, and efficient photosynthesis, enabling them to thrive under challenging environmental conditions. With a life cycle of 12-14 weeks (seed to seed), millets mature more quickly than rice and wheat (20-24 weeks), allowing them to "escape" stressful conditions faster. Furthermore, their four-carbon product (C4) photosynthetic trait offers significant advantages, with enhanced photosynthetic rates in warm conditions and immediate improvements in water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE).

This unique photosynthetic process not only supports millet growth and ecological adaptation in warm temperatures but also facilitates flexible allocation patterns of biomass and reduced hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf area, as elucidated by Sage and Zhu in 2011. These attributes underscore the resilience and sustainability of millets, positioning them as a vital component of future agricultural strategies in the face of climate change.

The significance of transitioning from water-intensive crops like rice and wheat to more resilient options like millets is underscored by a report published in India in 2021. According to the report, such a shift could potentially save the country 50 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, along with conserving 300 billion cubic meters of water annually (Times of India, July 16, 2021). This highlights the substantial environmental benefits of prioritizing millet cultivation in agricultural practices.

Millets such as sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet require significantly less rainfall compared to water-intensive crops like sugarcane and banana. The water needed for millet cultivation is less than 25 percent of that required for sugarcane and banana, and only 30 percent of that needed for rice. This makes millets a more sustainable and water-efficient option for agricultural production, particularly in regions facing water scarcity.

Millets exhibit exceptional tolerance to various environmental stresses, including drought, salinity, light, and heat, making them an ideal system for studying stress-responsive traits at the cellular, molecular, and physiological levels. Numerous morphophysiological and biochemical studies have elucidated the stress adaptation strategies employed by millets. For example, research indicates that pearl millet adjusts its flowering phenology in response to rainfall patterns, demonstrating its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Overall, the resilience and adaptability of millets make them a promising solution for sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change and water scarcity. By promoting millet cultivation, countries can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water resources, and build resilience in agricultural systems.

Unleashing the Potential of Millets: A Solution for Food Security and Sustainability

The civil society sector plays a pivotal role in advocating for agro-ecology as a climate solution, particularly in championing fair trade networks for agro-ecological products. By establishing fair trade networks, civil society organizations (CSOs) ensure that farmers receive premium prices for their climate-friendly produce, incentivizing the adoption of sustainable farming practices. Additionally, CSOs can raise consumer awareness about the benefits of purchasing agro-ecological products, promoting a shift towards sustainable food systems.

Moreover, CSOs can advocate for government policies that incentivize agro-ecological practices, such as subsidies for organic inputs or tax breaks for implementing sustainable farming methods. By advocating for supportive policies, CSOs create an enabling environment for farmers to transition towards more sustainable agricultural practices.

Despite their high nutritional value, millets remain underutilized due to a lack of consumer awareness. Millets offer a complete source of essential nutrients, fulfilling a significant portion of daily requirements for fiber, zinc, iron, and calcium. To unlock their full potential, a multi-pronged approach is needed.

Firstly, public awareness campaigns are crucial to educate consumers about the health benefits of millets. These campaigns can highlight the nutritional value of millets and promote their inclusion in diets. Secondly, research and development efforts should focus on increasing yields through sustainable and eco-friendly methods. By investing in research, innovations can be developed to improve millet cultivation practices and enhance yields.

Policy interventions, such as pricing and procurement support, can further incentivize millet production. Governments can provide price support to millet farmers, ensuring they receive fair prices for their produce. Additionally, procurement programs can be established to encourage the use of millets in public food distribution systems, creating a stable market for millet farmers.

Overall, a concerted effort involving civil society, government, and research institutions is needed to promote millets and unlock their full potential as a sustainable and nutritious food source. By addressing barriers to millet production and consumption, we can harness the benefits of this resilient crop and contribute to sustainable food systems and improved nutrition.

Empowering farmers, particularly small-scale producers, is essential in promoting the cultivation of millets and preserving agricultural biodiversity. Initiatives such as community seed banks and seed fairs play a crucial role in conserving millet biodiversity and traditional knowledge. These initiatives not only promote the exchange of seeds but also foster collaboration among farmers, strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems.

Supporting farmers who adopt sustainable practices is equally important. By providing training, resources, and incentives, stakeholders can encourage the adoption of agro-ecological methods that enhance soil health, conserve water, and promote biodiversity. This strengthens the link between millet biodiversity, food security, and environmental well-being, contributing to more sustainable farming systems.

The international community has recognized the importance of millets in achieving global goals related to nutrition, biodiversity conservation, and climate action. The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration both emphasize the role of millets in promoting food security and environmental sustainability. The designation of 2023 as the International Year of Millets further underscores the global commitment to promoting millet cultivation as a solution to climate change and food insecurity challenges.

Promoting millets transcends the mere popularization of a neglected crop. It represents a strategic approach to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including zero hunger, good health, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. By raising awareness, fostering collaboration, and implementing supportive policies, millets can play a transformative role in building a more sustainable and food-secure future for all.

Millets: A Sustainable Solution for a Changing World

Millets are not merely an overlooked grain; they represent a powerful tool for forging a more sustainable future. Their remarkable ability to thrive in harsh conditions not only promotes biodiversity but also alleviates pressure on valuable farmland, making them a vital component of sustainable agriculture. Packed with essential nutrients, millets offer a delicious and nutritious solution to combat malnutrition and cater to diverse dietary needs. Moreover, they serve as valuable fodder for livestock, supporting sustainable animal production systems.

The urgency of climate change necessitates immediate action, and millets, with their resilience and potential for sustainable agriculture, offer a compelling solution. By embracing these "climate warriors," we can ensure food security for future generations while simultaneously improving nutrition and safeguarding our planet. Empowering farmers, particularly marginalized groups and small-scale producers, is paramount to this endeavor. By providing better infrastructure, diversifying livelihoods, and strengthening local food systems, we can enable farmers to harness the full potential of millets.

The interconnected nature of climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty calls for a holistic approach. By raising awareness and shifting perceptions about millets, we can ignite a "millet revolution" that transcends individual households and resonates globally. Rooted in the traditional knowledge of farmers worldwide, this movement has the power to ensure food security, enhance livelihoods, bolster climate resilience, and reconnect us with our cultural heritage. Embracing a return to basics, prioritizing food sufficiency, and nurturing a healthy planet can herald a new era of well-being for all.

Source: fnbnews