March 2023 - Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 14, Issue 7
by Gary Wietgrefe 01 Apr '23

01 Apr '23

Unless I missed something, I do not find NAMA's FAQ attached....Gary On Wed, Mar 29, 2023 at 11:40 AM <collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space> wrote: > Send Collab mailing list submissions to > collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space > > You can reach the person managing the list at > collab-owner(a)lists.millets2023.space > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. NAMA FAQ 5.1 (latest version) (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:40:00 -0400 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > Subject: [Collab] NAMA FAQ 5.1 (latest version) > Message-ID: > < > CA+RHibX1BXKE3X3kofGYDPH4rJ6W8iH8jW02AvdzuWo0G0XwUA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Attached is a PDF of NAMA's FAQ ("Frequently Asked Questions"), version > 5.1. Please feel free to share as you see fit. > > And of course, if there are any questions about it, or issues you spot with > regard to the content, please advise. > > Best to all, > Don > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance > don(a)milletsalliance.org >

2 2

A two-minute history of millets (& the next phase of the Webinars)
by Don Osborn 31 Mar '23

31 Mar '23

A few thoughts about where we've been and where we're going with the Millets Webinar Series... The last two webinars in the series (February and March) dealt in broad terms and in some specifics with the multi-millennial history of millets. This is a vast subject that hasn't to my knowledge been treated as a historical whole There are many articles and some books that treat some subset of millets - usually one, sometimes a couple, and usually in a particular region and/or time period, This makes sense if you consider that we're talking about different crop species domesticated in various regions that fit in diverse cultures of agriculture and food. But since we're talking about this group of crops in the International Year of Millets, it is natural to ask about their collective story. So the last two webinars were intended as a stab in that direction. Here are some quick thoughts about the major trends I see in that long story - a "two-minute history of millets," if you will: * Millets (small grained cereals of the grass family) figured prominently in the earliest agriculture in various regions around the world, most notably in the vast continents of Asia and Africa * Many of these millets continued as local crops until today, but a few disseminated widely, and a few effectively disappeared from cultivation (for example in North America) * Of those that disseminated widely, foxtail and proso millets spread from East Asia south and west across Eurasia, and pearl millet, sorghum, and finger millet spread out of West and East Africa eastward to South Asia and beyond. This vast counterclockwise movement appears to have happened relatively quickly - that is, still in prehistory or ancient history. Incidentally it also established South Asia as a kind of "crossroads" of millets - a legacy you can see in India today * Over time, the prominent roles of millets in food and agriculture gradually ceded place to larger-grained cereals - this happening at different periods in different regions. That process picked up pace in some regions in the last century, in part due to the "Green Revolution" and its focus on selected large-grained crops. This marginalization of millets as crops and food has had economic, agronomic, and cultural aspects * In recent years, millets have received some renewed attention due to their adaptations as crops and qualities as foods, and in some places (such as India and China) an appeal to their cultural roles. The International Year of Millets is emblematic of this very recent trend. Does this portend another major shift in the long history of millets? (We are kind of betting it will.) If we look at the last three webinars, including also the January intro to millets, they set the stage for upcoming webinars about specific aspects of millets - agronomy, processing, nutrition, culinary, etc. More on those is upcoming. We look forward to your participation and feedback. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance don(a)milletsalliance.org

1 0

NAMA FAQ 5.1 (latest version)
by Don Osborn 29 Mar '23

29 Mar '23

Attached is a PDF of NAMA's FAQ ("Frequently Asked Questions"), version 5.1. Please feel free to share as you see fit. And of course, if there are any questions about it, or issues you spot with regard to the content, please advise. Best to all, Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance don(a)milletsalliance.org

1 0

Millets Webinar #3, 15 Mar. 2023, video
by Don Osborn 25 Mar '23

25 Mar '23

The video of the third in our Millets Webinar series is available at https://youtu.be/IUeLldImLzE (this was slightly edited from the full original) Thanks again to our presenters (in order of appearance): * Prof. David Baltensperger (Texas A&M University), who discussed proso millet, with focus on its current status in the US * Dr. Laurajean Lewis (Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research), who discussed pearl millet, with focus on its variability and cultivation in Sahelian Africa * Prof. Francesca Bray (University of Edinburgh (emerita)), who discussed foxtail and proso (aka broomcorn) millets in Chinese history, with attention to their decline in importance relative to rice and wheat, and the recent resurgence of interest in them. Thanks also to Dr. Kiruba Krishnaswamy, Ms. Sophia Sapp, and their colleagues at the University of Missouri, for helping make this edition of the Webinar a success. A list of video recordings for all three of the webinars held so far this year is available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy7IvZCKUBap-6AaoCjPSFTMMq772t_Yb DO, EL, MI. US NAMA

1 0

Upcoming Millets Webinar (#3), "Modern history of millets" 2023-3-15, 5 pm EST
by Don Osborn 13 Mar '23

13 Mar '23

Please join us for the upcoming Millets Webinar, Wed. 15 March, at 5 pm EST. The theme is the modern history of millets, and will feature three presentations: * Dr. Laurajean Lewis (Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research, & former professor & director of the Food Systems Program, Washington State Univ.), Biogeography, domestication, and cultivation of millets with a focus on pearl millet (examples from Africa) * Prof. David Baltensperger (Head of Crop & Soil Sciences, Texas A&M University), Proso millet in the US * Prof. Francesca Bray (Social Anthropology (emerita), University of Edinburgh), China as an example of how millets are faring in the contemporary global farming system This is the third of the monthly Millets Webinars we are hosting with the FEAST Lab & the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri during this, the International Year of Millets. It will be more of a panel format than the previous two. It follows the February webinar in which the prehistory and early history of millets were considered. If you are not already registered for the Millets Webinar Series, here is the link to sign up: https://umsystem.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctduutrTgoGNLZnrkxtUw614DEjAT3S…

1 0

NAMA meet-up at Expo West, 10 March 2023
by Don Osborn 09 Mar '23

09 Mar '23

For anyone who is attending the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, you may be interested in an informal meet-up on Friday 10 March. I understand from our colleague Joni Kindwall-Moore who is organizing it, that it will take place at the Starbucks on the main floor of the Marriott at 2:30 pm. For those not familiar with this annual convention event, see https://www.expowest.com/ Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

1 0

UCCS Grain School webinar on the International Year of Millets, 9 March 2023
by Don Osborn 07 Mar '23

07 Mar '23

The Grain School at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs is hosting an open webinar on the International Year of Millets this Thursday, 9 March 2023 at 4:30-6 pm MST. Speakers include Dr. Anitha Seetha, Dr. Margaret Harris, and Ms. Joanna Kane-Potaka. More information on the attached image; the URL for registration is https://uccs-edu.zoom.us/j/99337028216 (This webinar is also part of an ongoing course offered by the UCCS Grain School.) DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

1 1

Next week: 3rd Millets Webinar, Wed. 3/15/2023
by Don Osborn 07 Mar '23

07 Mar '23

The 3rd in the Millets Webinar Series offered by NAMA, and the FEAST Lab and Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri, is scheduled for Wednesday 15 March at 5 pm EDT. Full announcement is coming, along with link (for those not already registered for this yearlong series). Continuing and concluding the theme of the history of millets, this edition will consider recent developments and current situations of millets from several viewpoints. We are pleased to announce the 3 presenters: * Prof. Francesca Bray, University of Edinburgh * Dr. Laurajean Lewis, Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research * Prof. David Baltensperger, Texas A&M University DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

1 0

FAO Global Chefs Challenge during the Year of Millets
by Don Osborn 01 Mar '23

01 Mar '23

Greetings! Passing on this information about the FAO's current "Global Chefs Challenge." They are seeking social media input (video, photo, recipe, etc.) by chefs preparing dishes with any millet. Please see below for more information. DO, EL, MI, US NAMA ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Riordan, Aoife (OCCD) <Aoife.Riordan (at) fao.org> Date: Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 12:27 PM Subject: RE: Introducing the Millets Webinar Series 2023 To: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> Cc: [ . . . ] Dear Don, I am happy to update you on the Global Chefs Challenge <https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/the-iym2023-global-chefs-challenge/en> where we are trying each day to involve as many chefs as possible. Chef Binta in Ghana launched the challenge with FAO <https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnzCd7tts7-/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=> on Instagram and since then many chefs including Chef Diego Gierrero, Chef Anahita Dhondy and Chef Tita have joined by posting a video or photo of a recipe and tagging about five chefs to join them. We are hoping some bigger names will join shortly. https://www.instagram.com/fao/guide/iym2023-global-chefs-challenge/17945831… We really want to keep the challenge going and would be happy to contact any chefs you might propose from your region. All the best, Aoife *Aoife Riordan* Communication Officer Office of Communications Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, Italy

1 0