Millets The Nutri-cereals. A Sustainable Solution For Climate Change And Global Warming.
1. What are the benefits of millets? -
Millets are called the ‘nutri-cereals’. They are gluten-free and have a low glycemic index (GI) because they are low in simple
carbohydrates and high in complex carbohydrates. As a result, millet flour takes
longer to digest than wheat flour. Low-GI foods can help prevent blood sugar spikes after meals, making it easier for persons with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels. Millet is high in both soluble and insoluble dietary fibre. Millet’s insoluble fibre is a “probiotic,” which means it helps your digestive system’s healthy bacteria thrive. This sort of fibre also helps keep you regular and lowers your risk of colon cancer by adding bulk to your stools. Millet’s soluble fibre can help lower “bad” cholesterol levels
in the blood, which is a risk factor for atherosclerosis. In your stomach, soluble fibre forms a gel that absorbs cholesterol, allowing it to be safely transported out of your system. Millet is high in potassium, a
mineral that promotes kidney and heart health, nerve signal transmission, which is how your brain and muscles communicate with each other. Rich source of minerals and vitamins, proteins, magnesium and
phosphorous, iodine, flavonoids and antioxidants. Reduce risk of cardio-vascular diseases and cancer.
2. What are the factors influencing millet production among small scale farmers? –
Millets are the traditional staple foods , resistant to pests and climate – complaint crops. Millets are a rich source of nutrition and ideally suited for addressing the issues of hunger and malnutrition. Millets,
also called ‘nutri cereals’, are being procured at the support price and also being included under midday meal scheme and public distribution system (PDS). The Centre is promoting cultivation of millets like ragi
and jowar on a mission mode to achieve nutritional security.The potential of millets as a source of nutrition and a tool for hunger eradication is well established. Millets constitute one of the oldest forms of source of food, particularly in the tribal regions of India and the less developed regions of the world. Millets often termed as the poor man’s food, however, is now being subjected to systematic neglect leading to decreased production.“As a result of this, level of nutrients like protein, Vitamin-A, iron and iodine fell in women and children.”This has led to a special focus on millets, which are being promoted under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) following recommendations by a committee headed by NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand. Some proposals are as follows
(A) The government should include millets in public distribution system and supplementary nutrition
programmes.
(B) The government should promote millet marketing through state livelihood missions and non-profits must organise special camps in rural areas.
(C) The government should devise policies to promote millets so that implementation takes into consideration the health and economic status of the farming community, besides marketing millets as a health food in areas where the holdings are marginal.
(D) Involving private sector companies in promoting millets to produce millet based food products.
(E) Include millets in MDM scheme and procure from local sources.
However, government policies directed at providing nutrition in the region may indirectly promote monocultures, resulting in the decline of biodiversity, leading to a different kind of malnutrition. It is therefore important to design strategies that encourage the cultivation of millets using traditional methods that are best suited to the local agroecology.
While the importance of millets and Ragi in providing health benefits is well established like decreasing cholesterol, helping with lactation, providing minerals like calcium, fibres etc., availability of subsidized rice through the public distribution system has led to the lowered consumption of millets.
Availability of subsidized rice has not only led to decreased consumption of millets but has also affected the nutrition levels. This has further resulted in declining areas under cultivation, decreased interest in cultivation of the crop and loss of traditional varieties. These changes, coupled with state policies that favour rice and wheat, have led to a sharp decline in millet production and consumption.
The propaganda about millets is on the rise with events being organized in many places and venues being echoed with their significance. However, at the ground level, little is being done to protect these
precious resources by Government, private sector and civil society. The Government has pledged support for cultivation of millets last year along with providing inputs in terms of irrigation facilities and seed supply. Normally, millets require less chemical inputs and are also resistant to pests and diseases.
Thus avoiding pesticides or minimizing their use in the scenario of increased acreage under millets would be one of the best strategies to adopt rather than treating it as a fully commercial product, thereby making its cultivation expensive with high external inputs. However, the low requirement of
agricultural inputs like fertilizers and pesticides for these crops also means that the companies traditionally associated with selling these commodities show little interest in cultivation of millets. On the other hand, at times, they tend to discourage farmers from taking up these crops. Thus, the non-
involvement of commercial enterprises also has weakened the advocacy of cultivation of these crops in the public fora.
However, emphasis should now be laid on educating them about the importance of continuing cultivation of minor millets in the ensuing climate change situation. Tribal farmers, traditionally have been practicing mixed farming and crop rotation, which are best suited to the local agroecology. These
cropping patterns have stood the test of time and climate variabilities.
Above all, Millet’s high protein content makes up for energy deficiency in vegetarian diet. Millets are the super foods for the present and future., their short growing season - from planted seeds to mature, ready to harvest plants in as little as 65 days – make them commercially sound. When properly stored,
whole millets will keep for two or more years. The challenge is to food-process millet in to tasty and ready to eat foods like biscuits, noodles and pre baked roties and ofcourse as Ready to eat and Ready to cook novel foods. Indian Institute of Millets Research is working in that diorection to fetch better
income to the Millet growers. In order to keep up the momentum and the sustainability of
commercialization process, Entrepreneurship development of the stakeholders is necessitated through interventions in food processing and product development and nutritional evaluation.
Millets farming appears to be one strategy for combating climate change, poverty, and malnutrition.
Millets are arguably the finest alternative for farmers who want to achieve the triple goals of farming:
profit, adaptation, and sustainability. Millets are extremely resistant to harsh temperatures, droughts, and floods. Millets can be grown successfully in dry zones/rain-fed locations with limited soil fertility and
moisture. These are grown on Rajasthan's sand dunes. Because of its excellent root system, it requires extremely less water in comparison to other crops. Pearl and finger millet, for example, can survive on only 28% of the rainfall required by paddy. Millets' quick rotation (65 days) is critical for meeting food demand, especially in densely populated areas. Millets are resistant to pests and they are climate complaint.
The storage life is relatively long (two years or beyond). Millets growing is a low-cost endeavour. The majority of the added ingredients are organic. Millets have a higher number of tillers or branches than other crops. They serve as both food and forage for the animals. As a result, small-scale farmers will find it easier to switch to millet production.
By Naturopath Punam Jain, co-founder of Taru Naturals. A social enterprise handholding Small-Scale
Farmers with Natural Farming & Fair-Trade Markets.
To order millets online visit :- https://www.tarunaturals.com/search-results?q=millet or visit your
nearest Taru Naturals Store.
Featured In The Book- THE MILLET MOVEMENT IN INDIA
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