A few more or less recent items on millets with online links. These include
5 articles, one of which accompanies a podcast (see #2 on the list):
(1) "Mighty Millets Have Potential for Positive Change," by Christina
LiPuma, Viewpoints (essays), Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, 5
April 2023
https://clf.jhsph.edu/viewpoints/mighty-millets-have-potential-positive-cha…
"This year, the United Nations (UN) is on a mission to unleash the power of
millets, a group of small-grain cereals with enormous potential to bring
about positive changes to our health, our economies, and our planet. Tiny
but mighty, millets have gone mostly overlooked in the last 50 years living
in the shadows of other commercial crops such as wheat, rice, and corn. The
UN declared 2023 “The Year of the Millets” to bring attention back to this
group of grains. Given their ability to mitigate climate change, promote
economic growth, and fight hunger, it is rightfully time for millets to
shine."
Comments: A solid overview of millets, hitting a lot of the selling points
for these grains as sustainable crops and nutritious foods, with attention
also to their value in animal farming. If you need a single recent article
to introduce millets to someone wondering what's the deal with the
International Year, it would be hard to do better than this. (Thanks to
Jonathon Landeck for the pointer.)
One minor point not particular to this article: We really need to enlist
more adjectives to describe the flavors of millets, as "nutty" is becoming
cliché. And that, in turn, requires more people trying more millets....
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(2) "Are nutrient-dense, climate-friendly millets the next quinoa?"
Soup-To-Nuts Podcast of FoodNavigator-USA, by 17-Apr-2023 By Elizabeth
Crawford, 17 April 2023
https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2023/04/17/soup-to-nuts-podcast-a…
"Millets may be relatively little known in the Global North currently, but
the small, nutrient dense and drought-resistant grains (well, technically
seeds), could be poised to become the next quinoa with the power to
turbo-charge sales of CPGs featuring them, thanks to the Food and
Agriculture Organization and UN declaring 2023 the International Year of
Millets."
Comments: Nice interview of Sujala Balaji of RainFed Foods, with some input
by Shrene White of Ardent Mills, which covers general points about millets,
some specifics relating to India, and what RainFed Foods is working on. A
couple of quick comments: I've not seen millets referred to elsewhere as
"pseudo-cereals" (2:43) - this term is sometimes used for the dicot grains,
amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa. Millets, like major cereal grains, are in
the grass family (Poaceae), but in different branches of it. Also, I'm not
sure where the information about millets fixing nitrogen (10:48) came from
- this is a characteristic of legumes not grasses. Millets have other
advantages as C4 crops (efficient use of CO2) and in general, being able to
produce with less nutrients and water.
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(3) "Six reasons to bring millets to the market!" FAO," by Jeanette Van
Acker, 25 January 2023
https://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1628815/
"Rich in heritage and full of potential, millets are a sustainable,
nutritious and under-valued food source
Comments: This is part of FAO's web presence on the International Year of
Millets. A very succinct numbered presentation on why millets are
important, and always useful in a repertoire of articles to share.
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(4) "Why 2023 is the year of millets," BBC World's Table, by Charukesi
Ramadurai, 9 February 2023
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230208-why-2023-is-the-year-of-millets
"Once a forgotten staple of traditional Indian cuisine, nutritionally dense
millets are becoming popular the world over. So much so that 2023 is being
dubbed 'the year of millets'."
Comments: A good background, with focus on India (which I consider a
"crossroads" of many millets from Asia and Africa. One update - India has
apparently moved beyond "nutricereals" as a moniker for millets to "sri
anna" or "shree anna" (noble or best grains). There is, or was, no generic
term in Indian languages for millets, which have been treated as individual
grains.
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(5) "Indian Firm UPL To Establish Millets Model Farm In Guyana," Outlook
Planet, 5 May 2023
https://planet.outlookindia.com/news/the-indian-company-upl-and-the-republi…
"The Republic of Guyana will supply a suitable 200 acre plot of land in
Guyana, while the UPL will contribute technical know-how and agricultural
inputs"
Comments: Interesting item I came across. Raises the same questions one
would have anywhere about allocation of land to foreign-based multinational
corporations, but the millets angle makes it worth keeping an eye on.
(Guyana of course is in northern South America. A large proportion of the
population has Indian heritage, from immigration during the British
colonial period.)
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If you come across interesting news or features about millets, especially
in North America, but not limited to this region, please feel free to post
directly to the list.
DO, EL, MI, US
NAMA
This is an interesting discussion surrounding the post-2023 millets celebration. To be extremely honest, I see this with mixed feelings. The UN Observances (Years, Months, Weeks, Days - even "Decades" exist), are adopted through a lengthy process, and it has to be proposed by a member state. https://www.un.org/en/observances/
While they can be powerful advocacy tools, they of course require resources to manage them. The resources have to come from extra-budgetary source, meaning regular UN contributions are not allowed to be used for the activities. We will need a strong country (or two or more) commitments to make this happen.
I definitely do not want to put a damper on this thread, but I just wanted to inform you that all the UN observances come with a price, and having a week of celebration translates to perhaps half a year of work for us, believe it or not. For us to organize an International year, it is at least 2 years of work. The cost of having these observances should be carefully vetted vis a vis its impact.
>From FAO perspective, we hope to generate interest this year to set up a global network on millets in the coming years.
best
Makiko Taguchi
Agricultural Officer
Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP)<http://www.fao.org/agriculture/plant-production-and-protection/en/#_blank>
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
Email: makiko.taguchi(a)fao.org
Web: www.fao.org<http://www.fao.org/>
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