Beyond the hoopla: Millets must be promoted. But health and economic concerns need priority

Nutritional advantages of millets are offset by presence of phytic acid; cultivation yield also poor compared to wheat and rice

Culture has helped millets survive

Throughout ages, many rituals have been associated with millet cultivation and women are to be thanked for this

Paspalum Scrobiculatum: Kodo Millet

One of the oldest known millets, kodo is said to have originated in India 3,000 years ago. This millet has a husk which has to be removed before …

Panicum miliaceum: Proso millet

High in protein, this small-grained millet has a creamy texture when cooked. The cooked millet acts as a great binder and can easily substitute …

‘Labour burden on women millet producers must be reduced’

Shailaja Fennell, an expert in gender and household dynamics in agriculture, talks to Down To Earth about millet production in India

Boost indigenous millet recipes over packaged products

Preparing millets fresh should be made easy instead of promoting ultra-processed packaged foods; this may be the way to bring it into …

Here is how millets can make India’s food basket climate-resilient

Too much dependence on rice can make India vulnerable

International year of millets: Centre to work on decentralised processing & marketing

Themes for a comprehensive plate-to-farm millet food system proposed the People’s Convention on Millets for Millions

Millets in PDS a game changer for combating malnutrition, climate change

Subsidised cereals distributed under PDS have increased the consumption of excessive starch instead of pulses, legumes, vegetables, nuts and milk,…

Odisha develops protocol for releasing indigenous millet seeds

Odisha is the first state to notify a committee to conserve and mainstream seeds conserved by tribal farmers 

The International Year of Millets is an opportunity to improve indigenous kids’ nutrition

About 4.7 million tribal children in the country suffer from chronic nutrition deprivation

Mission Millet: Odisha employed a holistic agri-strategy to procure 600,000 quintals of ragi

Farmer producer organisations, crop intensification methods play key role in process

How Odisha is revalorising minor millets 

Despite their glorious past, millets have been sidelined in farms and on food plates over the years

Kharif season 2023: Rajasthan plants two times more bajra as India’s paddy acreage drops by 26%

Impact of Cyclone Biparjoy and uneven distribution of monsoon clearly visible on kharif crops  

Pennisetum Glaucum: Pearl Millet

Bajra, as it is popularly known, is high in fibre and free of gluten. It is the most cultivated millet in the world and can be a wheat substitute …

Echinochloa Frumentacea: Barnyard Millet

Also known as vari or sama, this millet is a good choice for the upma recipe because the size and consistency of the grain is somewhere between …

This 45-year-old makes farming profitable for the entire Soliga tribe

Prakash roped in 30 Soliga farmers and 1,000 other marginal farmers and formed a collective to set up a millet processing unit in Karnataka's …

Seeds from the past

For a decade, 200 villages in Odisha have conserved and grown 190 indigenous rice and millet varieties with proven climate resilience

Look back at the decade: Food

The second decade of the millenium saw the spread of permaculture in India

How investing in processing machines can help India promote millets

An African-Canadian company is helping promote Mali's fonio millet by investing in processing machines. India too needs to procure advanced …

The humble gourd is falling out of favour

Gourd has sculpted the culture and traditions of rural India for ages 

Panicum sumatrense: Kutki Millet

Also called little millet, it has very small seeds which are covered with an indigestible husk that needs to be removed before the grain can be …

Grounded in wisdom: The forgotten chakki should regain its place

Traditional mini flour mills may no longer be in vogue in our homes, but they help prepare nutritious food 

Millets are returning to our fields and plates

In the past 60 years, India’s agriculture policy has focused mainly on rice and wheat and neglected millets. But these nutri cereals are …

Traditionally secure: The Baigas and their uncultivated foods

People belonging to the Baiga tribe mostly depend on forests and its plants for their livelihood. They possess the ability to recognise hundreds …