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Millets - A powerful ally in fighting climate change & food security
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Thursday, 11 April, 2024, 16 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr Jagat Patnaik
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Professor Wally Broecker's chilling quote, "Climate is an ill-tempered beast, and we are poking it with sticks," rings truer than ever these days. Climate change threatens our very existence, with rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and increased food insecurity. These challenges aren't predictions; they're unfolding before our eyes, with floods, droughts, and extreme weather events becoming commonplace. To overcome these threats, we need a fundamental shift towards resilience-based agriculture. This means working with nature, not against it, by adopting agro-ecological approaches. The 2022 IPCC report approved by 195 countries, underscores this crucial need, emphasizing locally adapted crops and sustainable practices. For Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the cultivation of crops, specifically millets which are indigenous to our local cultures and geographies, is an impeccable example of an ecosystem-based approach.
Millets are hardy, nutritious grains, indigenous to many regions, hold immense potential for tackling climate challenges and ensuring food security. They thrive in harsh environments, require minimal water, and offer superior nutritional value when compared with many mainstream crops. My own childhood memories, filled with grandparents serving delicious millet dishes, remind me of their traditional significance. But the shift away from millets reflects a larger trend impacting food systems and nutrition security.
History
Millets are a diverse family of small-seeded grasses, boasting a history stretching back over 7,000 years. These nutrient-rich grains widely grown in the semi-arid tropics around the world were a staple food for millennia, particularly in Africa and Asia. Packed with calcium, fiber, protein, vitamins, and micronutrients, they even earned the title of "nutraceuticals" for their superfood potential. Adapted to thrive in dry, hot climates, millets have long been valued for their resilience and productivity. Interestingly 97% of millet production is in the developing countries. Millets' drought tolerance and adaptability make them ideal for future farming. Their high nutritional content can combat malnutrition, especially in vulnerable communities. Moreover, Millets promote biodiversity by encouraging diverse cropping systems thus improving soil health and ecosystem stability.
A Forgotten Legacy
Evidence suggests humans enjoyed millets long before "taming" other crops. From ancient Korean pottery dating to the Middle Jeulmun Pottery Period (around 3,500–2,000BC) to Indian scriptures like the oldest Yajurveda texts, identifying foxtail millet (priyangava), Barnyard millet (aanava) and black finger millet (shyaamaka), their presence throughout history pre-dating to the Indian Bronze Age (4,500BC) is undeniable.
However, the tide turned in recent decades. Modernization and the Green Revolution prioritized high-yielding rice and wheat, leading to a decline in millet production and consumption. The reasons for the decline in consumption can be varied, such as changing tastes and preferences, rapid urbanisation, increasing incomes, tedious and high duration requirement for cooking millets, lack of “value-added” millet-based products, lack of awareness about their nutritional properties and negative social connotation of millets as a “poor man’s food” (DHAN Foundation and Wassan 2012; Government of India 2014). These changes, coupled with state policies that favour rice and wheat, have led to a sharp decline in millet production and consumption. This shift, while praised for boosting food security, came at a cost: reduced agro-diversity, nutritional security, and cultural connection to traditional foods.
Before Green Revolution, millets made up around 40 percent of all cultivated grains, contributing more than wheat and rice. However, since the revolution, the production of rice increased doubly, and wheat production tripled. Vilas A. Tonapi, Director of Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), said, “the Green Revolution, despite its “benefits”, ignored millets and instead concentrated on rice and wheat. Now, there is no diversity in our food in terms of nutritional value. Our food habit is going in the negative direction.”
Today, as climate change disrupts weather patterns and challenges traditional agriculture, millets are re-emerging as a beacon of hope. Their drought tolerance and low water requirements make them ideal for facing a future of uncertain rainfall. Moreover, their diverse nutritional profile offers a much-needed alternative to the nutrient-deficient diets prevalent in many parts of the world.
Climate Change Threatens Food Security:
The IPCC report paints a stark picture – rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels threaten food production and access, particularly in vulnerable regions. This jeopardizes food security and nutrition for millions.
Often called "nutri-cereals," millets offer a ray of hope. These hardy grains possess unique characteristics that make them more resilient to environmental stresses compared to major cereals like rice and wheat. A Study conducted by Li and Brutnell, 2011, shows that switching to millets from water-intensive crops like rice could save billions of cubic meters of water annually which in turn significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Millets possess unique features like short stature, dense root systems, and efficient photosynthesis that help them cope with environmental challenges.
Millets complete their life cycle in 12-14 weeks (seed to seed), compared to 20-24 weeks for rice and wheat. This allows them to "escape" stressful conditions faster. Also, the four-carbon product (C4) photosynthetic trait is highly advantageous to millets. Millets have enhanced photosynthetic rates at warm conditions and confer immediate water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Photosynthesis provides secondary benefit to millets including improved growth and ecological enactment in warm temperatures, enhanced flexible allocation patterns of biomass and reduced hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf area (Sage and Zhu, 2011).
In 2021, a report published in India, mentioned, “moving away from water-intensive crops, like rice and wheat, towards more hardy crops like millets can save the country 50 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – the main driver of climate change – as well as 300 billion cubic metres of water annually by 2050” (Times of India, July 16, 2021). The rainfall needed for millets like sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet is less than 25 percent of that needed for sugarcane and banana, and 30 percent that of rice. The exceptional tolerance of millets toward diverse abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, light and heat makes them a tractable system to study their stress-responsive traits at the cellular, molecular and physiological levels. Several morphophysiological and biochemical studies in millets have shown their stress adaptation strategies. For example, studies indicate that pearl millet adjusts flowering phenology according to the pattern of rainfall.
Unleashing the Potential of Millets: A Solution for Food Security and Sustainability
The civil society sector has a unique capacity to champion agro-ecology as a climate solution by helping establish fair trade networks for agro-ecological products, ensuring farmers receive premium prices for their climate-friendly produce. Simultaneously CSOs can raise consumer awareness about the benefits of buying agro-ecological products, promoting a shift towards sustainable food systems and also advocating for government policies that incentivize agro-ecological practices, such as subsidies for organic inputs or tax breaks for implementing sustainable farming methods.
Despite their high nutritional value, millets remain underutilized due to 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. However, 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. Secondly, research and development efforts should focus on increasing yields through sustainable and eco-friendly methods. Policy interventions, such as pricing and procurement support, can further incentivize millet production.
Empowering farmers, especially small-scale producers, is another key aspect. Initiatives like community seed banks and seed fairs can promote the conservation of millet biodiversity and traditional knowledge. Furthermore, supporting farmers who adopt sustainable practices strengthens the link between millet biodiversity, food security, and environmental well-being.
The international community recognizes the importance of millets. The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition and the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration highlight the role of millets in achieving food security and environmental sustainability. The recent declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets underscores the global commitment to promoting millet cultivation as a solution to climate change and food insecurity challenges.
Promoting millets goes beyond popularizing a neglected crop. It is a strategic move towards achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including zero hunger, good health, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. By raising awareness and implementing supportive policies, millets can play a transformative role in building a more sustainable and food-secure future.
Millets: A Sustainable Solution for a Changing World
Millets are not simply a forgotten grain, but a powerful tool for building a more sustainable future. Their ability to thrive in harsh conditions promotes biodiversity and reduces pressure on valuable farmland. Packed with nutrients, millets offer a delicious and nutritious solution to combat malnutrition and cater to diverse dietary needs. Additionally, they act as valuable fodder for livestock, supporting sustainable animal production.
The urgency of climate change demands immediate action. Millets, with their resilience and potential for sustainable agriculture, offer a powerful answer. By embracing these "climate warriors," we can ensure food security for generations to come, while also improving nutrition and protecting our planet. The key lies in empowering farmers, especially marginalized groups and small-scale producers, through better infrastructure, diversified livelihoods, and strengthened local food systems.
The interconnectedness of climate, biodiversity, and poverty requires a holistic approach. As we raise awareness and shift perceptions about millets, we can spark a "millet revolution", from one’s own home to global sphere, that marks a turning point towards sustainable living and eating. Rooted in the traditional knowledge of farmers worldwide, this movement has the potential to ensure food security, improve livelihoods, build climate resilience, and reconnect us with our cultural heritage. Even a return to basics, prioritizing food sufficiency and a healthy planet, can usher in a new era of well-being for all.
(The author is working with an international development support organisation as its Asia regional head) 
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