- Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Update on GSA activities regarding millets
by Don Osborn 20 Sep '26

20 Sep '26

Among the types of information shared on the Collab list is news of upcoming events regarding millets - especially, but not exclusively in North America - and follow-ups regarding accounts or proceedings of such events. In that spirit, I have shared what I have found regading activities of the Chicago-based Indian-American NGO GSA - Gobal Eye relating to millets, and will continue with this post. This info is organized in 3 parts, concerning a recent event and a scheduled one, plus a brief recapitultion of their earlier events: 1. Roundtable, 24 July 2026 2. Conclave, 28-29 Sept. 2026 3. Previous events 1. Roundtable, 24 July 2026 GSA held an event this summer which "was convened on July 24, 2026, at the Consulate General of India in Chicago under the theme 'Building the India America Millet Partnership for a Healthier, Sustainable, and Food Secure Future.' The program was cohosted by the Consulate General of India, Chicago; the Global Strategic Alliance (GSA); and The GlobalEye International Institute of Leadership (TGEIIL)." For further information, see the following: 1.1 "8th Global Strategic Alliance (GSA) SuperGrains & Millets Round Table, organized by the GSA with support of the Consulate General of India" (post by Consulate General of India, Chicago, on Facebook, 27 July 2026) https://www.facebook.com/IndiaInChicago/posts/the-8th-global-strategic-alli… 1.2 "8th GSA Global Supergrain and Millets Roundtable Advances India America Partnership in Nutrition, Agriculture and Food Innovation" (article by Dr. Vasavi Chakka in GSA's Global Eye magazine, Edition 90, August 29, 2026, pp. 13-15, which includes text and photos) https://globaleyedigital.com/Magazine/2026/90/GE-90.pdf 1.3 "8th GSA Super grain & Millet Round Table; Building the India- America Millet Partnership," Asian Media Broadcasting, YouTube, 6 Aug. 2026 https://youtu.be/frTrTGdOg4Y?si=yZK4Cu3BThl9-Tns (1:21:47) 2. Conclave, 28-29 Sept. 2026 A 2-day event entitled "Second GSA Global Supergrain Millets Conclave" has been mentioned in at least 2 GSA Global Eye publications. Most recently in the edition cited above (1.2) and previously in an article entitled "Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson Champions America’s Supergrain Future," Edition 83, May 18, 2026, p. 15 https://globaleyedigital.com/Magazine/2026/83/GE-83.pdf I have not found any formal announcements, web presentations, or registration details online. 3. Past events Here is an attempt to list (in reverse chronological order) the various previous events on millets that GSA, and its associated entity, the American Multi Ethnic Commission (AMEC), have organized. It builds on a list from the following source, with some additional items we have previously reported on Collab. "Greetings from AMEC Secretary General," Global Eye, Edition 87, p. 10 https://globaleyedigital.com/Magazine/2026/87/GE-87.pdf * May 23, 2026 - Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center, Chicago: A high-level curtain-raiser for the second GSA Global Supergrains Millet Conclave united leaders in policy, research, and industry to advance millets as climate-resilient supergrains. [NB- this references the event indicated to take place in Washington on Sep. 28-29] * September 12, 2025 - Atlanta, Georgia: Millets Conclave Sequel 1.0 expanded the initiative's geographic and professional reach. * September 11, 2025 - Washington, DC: An AMEC co-hosted Millets Conclave extended the conversation to the nation's capital. * September 5-6, 2025 - Hillside, Illinois: The inaugural Global Millets Conclave - Chicago brought together American and Indian industry experts and academicians. [NB- this was originally called GSA Global Sorghum & Millets Expo and scheduled in Naperville, IL https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… ] * April 11-12 2025, GSA Global Millets Expo, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. [NB - This event was originally scheduled for 8-9 Nov. 2024, then postponed to 5-6 Dec., then again to April 2025, before ultimately being canceled. For more info, search "Global Millets Expo" at https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… ] I felt it useful to recapitulate the events above in one place, in respect for the efforts of GSA in the "millets space," and also because the archives of this Collab list (which began in Jan. 2022) have a role as a record of what's happening not only with NAMA, but also in the millets space in general. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Grain standards for millets in India
by Don Osborn 15 Sep '26

15 Sep '26

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) amended its Food Safety Standards in 2023 to include all millets in one "comprehensive group standard for 15 types of millets specifying 8 quality parameters" (NB, that's 13 millets including sorghum, plus two pseudo-cereals). NAMA sees the vital importance of millets standards for producers, processors, and consumers, and has, of course, promoted a set of Grain Quality Standards for proso millet. So, it would seem useful to review the standards adopted by India, as the largest producer of a variety of millets, and exporter of many of those. Could these inform the future development and expansion of standards for grain millets in the US and other countries of North America? * Press release about the standard(s) for millets https://fssai.gov.in/docs/latest/press/63f84b536542dPress_release.pdf (not dated, but from text probably 1 Sep. 2023) Notes: A. The link in this release goes to an older document about millets, which is not dedicated to standards B. The following are mentioned (NB- the pseudo-cereals amaranth and buckwheat are included, and sometimes termed "pseudo-millets." Also, the "crab finger" would be Digitaria sanguinalis.): 1. Amaranthus (Chaulai or Rajgira) 2. Barnyard Millet (Samakechawal or Sanwa or Jhangora) 3. Brown top (Korale) 4. Buckwheat (Kuttu) 5. Crab finger (Sikiya) 6. Finger Millet (Ragi or Mandua) 7. Fonio (Acha) 8. Foxtail Millet (Kangni or Kakun) 9. Job's tears (Adlay) 10. Kodo Millet (Kodo) 11. Little Millet (Kutki) 12. Pearl Millet (Bajra) 13. Proso Millet (Cheena) 14. Sorghum (Jowar) 15. Teff (Lovegrass) C. It's not clear that either fonio or teff are grown in India, so the standards presumably apply to imports as well as to domestically produced millets. * Article entitled "FSSAI specifies comprehensive group standard for millets" on FSSAI's Vikaspedia wiki (35/2/2024) https://en.vikaspedia.in/viewcontent/agriculture/post-harvest-technologies/… Note: D. This contains much the same content as the above, with an outlink to the document summarized below. * Edited version of Chapter 2. Food Product Standards. 2.4 Cereals and Cereal Products in "Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations" https://www.fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/5_%20Chapter%202_4%20(Cer… Notes: E. This document shows edits to this chapter-section that went into effect on 1 Sep. 2023. Deleted parts are highlighted yellow, and notes are in red. The black, unhighlighted text should be taken as final F. The full "Food Safety and Standards ..." dates back some years, and has been amended at various times. I could not access a current version of it in its entirety, or of an unedited (i.e., uncluttered) one of this chapter-section. G. In this document, the full list of 15 grains and seeds listed above is included in the table on page 25 (there is no pagination, so use the page indicator in your PDF viewer). However, due to a formatting error, the last two (sorgum and teff) are hidden. A search on "teff," for example, will take you to a spot below the table. H. The eight parameters in the millets standard (which applies to all types of millets, as well as the two of the three pseudo-cereals [the third pseudo-cereal, quinoa, is treated separately]) appear on the following page (26) and are: 1. Moisture Content 2. Extraneous Matter 3. Other edible grain 4. Grains with serious defects 5. Grains with slight defects 6. Weevilled Grains 7. Immature and Shrivelled grains 8. Uric acid If you have further information on these standards, or thoughts about them, please let us know. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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FYI: Two more conferences (for the record)
by Don Osborn 15 Sep '26

15 Sep '26

Two more conferences that bear mentioning, one that began today, and another that has been postponed: 1. 2026 Global Sorghum Conference, 14-18 Sept. 2026, Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Lubbock, Texas. * Global Sorghum Association conference page: https://globalsorghum.org/2026-conference * Texas Tech University conference website: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/research/sorghum-conference/ * This event was mentioned a while back on Collab: https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… * If anyone is attending, please let us know more. 2. MAGIC 2026 - Millets and Ancient Grains International Conference, Global Center of Excellence on Millets, Hyderabad, India (postponed). * Conference website: https://maharishi.res.in/magic * Being organizwed by the MAHARISHI, an initiative with high-level support in India, which "aims to coordinate international research on millets and ancient grains to strengthen global food and nutrition security" * The conference has been postponed, with no indication yet of a new date Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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NAMA press release in the news
by Don Osborn 14 Sep '26

14 Sep '26

The NAMA press release "Quality Food Millets During Drought" (22 Aug. 2026), authored by Gary Wietgrefe, was picked up by three news outlets recently: * AgWeek, "Dry conditions could lead to higher demand for millet production," by Ariana Schumacher, 9 Sep. 2026 https://www.agweek.com/crops/other-crops/dry-conditions-could-lead-to-highe… (you may need to create a free account before reading) * The Fence Post, "Producing quality food millets during drought," by Gary W. Wietgrefe, 3 Sep. 2026 https://www.thefencepost.com/news/producing-quality-food-millets-during-dro… * NewsBreak (picked up the Fence Post article) https://www.newsbreak.com/news/4865278930540-producing-quality-food-millets… AgWeek and The Fence Post disseminate news relating to farming and agriculture with readership largely in the Northern Great Plains. This release was also shared on NAMA's LinkedIn page and on our Facebook group. It was first posted on Collab at: https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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4th International Millet Symposium, Hyderabad, 3-7 Nov. 2027
by Don Osborn 10 Sep '26

10 Sep '26

Sharing this news from Prof. Dipak Santra: The 4th International Millet Symposium (previously known as the International Symposium on Broomcorn Millet) will be in Hyderabad, India, from Nov. 3-7, 2027. Please mark your calendar. Details will follow soon. (Prof. Santra has organized previous editions of this important symposium series.) DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

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Millets and thyroid health (2 items & brief discussion)
by Don Osborn 10 Sep '26

10 Sep '26

As someone with a thyroid condition, I have a personal interest in what research says about potential goitrogenic effects of millets consumed as food. This issue has only come up a couple of times on Collab,/1/2 and generally is not a wide concern outside of particular thyroid conditions or dietary insufficiency, but it is useful to be aware of our state of knowledge on the subject. So, here are two very recent items, followed by a few personal observations: 1. "Millets for Thyroid: Safe Choices, What to Avoid (2026)" https://www.orggu.com/blog/millets-for-thyroid This is a "guide" to millets from the point of view of thyroid health, produced by an Indian company, Orggu, which mentions as sources National Institute of Nutrition (NIN, Hyderabad, India), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and USDA FoodData Central. It meritsmention for its treatment of millets individually and for distinguishing between the two main and opposite types of thyroid conditions (over vs under production of thyroid hormones). However, it does not mention fonio or teff (not to surprising, given that Orggu operates only in India), nor does it mention proso millet (which is surprising, given that it is grown and consumed in India). Overall, its discussion is more detailed and nuanced than most other similar webpages I have seen. This is not to recommend it unconditionally, which I'm not qualified to do anyway. but if you're unfamiliar with this issue, it seems like a useful starting point. Millets covered: sorghum; pearl millet; finger millet; foxtail millet; little millet; kodo millet; barnyard millet (species not indicated); and browntop millet. 2. Onipe, O. O., Udeh, H. O., & Gwata, E. T. (2026). "Goitrogens in millets: occurrence, impact on product development and mitigation strategies." International Journal of Food Properties, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2026.2629050 This review article covers: sorghum; pearl millet; finger millet; foxtail millet; proso millet; little millet; kodo millet; barnyard millet (Echinochloa crus-galli and E. colona are mentioned, rather than E. esculenta and E. frumentaea); and fonio. ABSTRACT: "Goiter is a health disorder characterized by an enlarged thyroid gland, and it has been associated with iodine deficiency, which can be exacerbated by the ingestion of substances that impair iodine uptake (goitrogens). Millets have been associated with thyroid dysfunctions due to presence of goitrogens. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), finger millet (Eleusine coracana), and fonio (Digitaria exilis Stapf) contain appreciable amounts of goitrogens, thiocyanates and flavonoids, that can obstruct iodine metabolism in the thyroid. The concentration of thiocyanate and C-glycosyl flavones in finger millet ranged from 31 to 43 mg/kg, and from 15 to 541 and up to 350 mg/kg in pearl millet and fonio contain, respectively. This review consolidates growing knowledge about the occurrence, metabolic pathways, and dietary consequences of goitrogens in millets. The biochemical routes through which goitrogens inhibit the thyroid hormone peroxidase are discussed. The interplay of environmental and varietal and agricultural methods on the goitrogenic profile of minor millets is also clarified. The influence of processing on the breakdown of goitrogens is also discussed. The review findings indicate that employing a dual approach, heat and mechanical processing, reduces goitrogenicity in millets; nevertheless, in certain instances, such as fermentation and sprouting were found to have variable effect, with several studies indicating either stable or increased goitrogen levels. The study shows that cooking or boiling and decortication are the most effective methods to reduce goitrogens in millets." I found it a useful discussion that touched on many points. If you first looked at the webpage linked above (#1), this article gives more depth and explanation. If I were to make one editorial suggestion, it would be to be clearer on the set of milllets discussed at various points. For example the abstract mentions fonio but not sorghum, but a later list has the latter but not the former, even though similar issues were raised for both. And there was one discussion under "Boiling" of red and brown millet varieties, but it wasn't clear whether one millet or a common feature of several were described. Also, the brief discussion of the effect of soaking, which appears under the subheading of "Germination" might have its own subheading, or alternatively the subheading could include both words, to facilitate findng, since soaking is a separate practice used for many grains. Altogether, it is worth reading if you want more background on this topic. Some comments: * In general, it seems that the major millets - sorghum, pearl millet, and sometimes finger millet/3 - have higher content of goitrogenic compounds * The minor or small millets - those with hard husks or shells - seem to have less goitrogenic compounds. * Fonio, however, seems to have higher levels * Proso is not given any attention in #1, and is mentioned only once without discussion of its goitrogenic content in #2. One other site compares it to other minor millets in this regard: https://milletmatters.com/blogs/blogs/which-millet-is-good-for-thyroid-a-co… * Teff, as indicated above, and for that matter adlay on the other end of the size spectrum * Goitrogens are present in a range of foods, including some vegetables commonly sold and consumed in North America * Goitrogens are part of a larger category of what are called antinutrients, which also includes phytates (phytic acid), which are a different compoud found in whole grains (this woud be a separate discussion) * It might be helpful to have a NAMA explainer on this topic for a broad audience that improves on those discussed above (for instance bringing proso into it) - unless there's already one that we could point to * None of this is intended to raise unwarrented concerns about consumption of millets, which overall have many health and nutritional advantages. Fwiw, I consume a range of millets as part of a diverse diet, but have not experienced any adverse issues despite my thyroid issue.. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance Notes: 1. "Supposed downsides of millets as food" 29 May 2023 https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… 2. "Goitrogen issue again - pearl millet & fonio," 30 Aug 2024 https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… 3. The topic of the major/minor (small) millets and the place of finger millet is one for another time.

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Fonio in the Dominican Republic & Haiti
by Don Osborn 05 Sep '26

05 Sep '26

Fonio (Digitaria exilis) is a West African crop. All the commercially available fonio in the US and Canada is imported from that region. The only place in the Americas where fonio is an established crop is the island of Hispaniola, mainly in the Dominican Republic (DR), where it is called "funde." It may also be grown in Haiti. Its presence as a crop in the DR is confirmed, for example, in the PROTA4U database: https://prota.prota4u.org/protav8.asp?g=pe&p=Digitaria+exilis A brief article, altho a bit dated, gives historical background and information on contemporary cultivation and uses: J. Pablo Morales-Payán, J. Richard Ortiz, Julio Cicero, and Francisco Taveras, "Digitaria exilis as a Crop in the Dominican Republic," Supplement to: Trends in New Crops and New Uses. 2002. J. Janick and A. Whipkey (eds.). ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. * https://www.sodiaf.org.do/publica/Articulos/digitaria%20exilis.pdf * https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237428677_Digitaria_exilis_as_a_Cr… According to this article, fonio was introduced to the then Spanish colony of Santo Domingo early during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. It might have been very early in this period, but I have seen no confirmation of late 15th century (which would mean one of Columbus's first voyages), but even if fonio came with the earliest enslaved Africans (apparently from Senegambia and Guinea) in the early 1500s, that would be very interesting to kn. One excerpt from the article about current production: "The plant is cultivated abundantly in the province of San Cristóbal, near [the city of] Santo Domingo. Most growers have about one hectare under production, with dual purpose of grass and grain. It is used as a pasture in marginal areas, were other cultivated grasses do not grow well. A number of phenotypic variants have been observed, and could actually be different genotypes developed by the selection of grain by separate growers over 500 years." The Nairobi-based food trade site, Selina Wamucii, has current information on fonio in DR, including, interestingly, a small level of exports: "Fonio Price in Dominican Republic, August 2026," https://www.selinawamucii.com/insights/prices/dominican-republic/fonio/ "As of August 2026, the fonio price in Dominican Republic available is US$ 0.63 per kg (34.47 DOP), up 136.1% year-on-year. "In 2024, the Dominican Republic exported 3,291 tonnes of fonio valued at US$2,079,596, ranking #18 among 81 global exporters and accounting for 1.3% of world exports. The country is a net exporter, with exports increasing by 234.0% year-on-year. The latest export unit value for fonio is US$0.6319 per kg." It is hard to imagine fonio persisting for centuries on one part of the island of Hispaniola - the DR - and not being present in the other part - Haiti. So indeed, Kew's Plants of the World Online page or Digitaria exilis does show it as present in Haiti as well as DR: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:398802-1 However, Selina Wamucii shows no commercial production of fonio in Haiti: https://www.selinawamucii.com/insights/prices/haiti/fonio/ My searches for further info on fonio in Haiti turned up nothing useful. So, it seems that fonio is a minor but not insignificant crop in DR, and in one region of that country in particular. But not so much in Haiti, or perhaps even in much of the rest of DR, even after some centuries. In an odd way, this reminds me of my early observation of fonio cultivation and use in the tiny country of Togo: Some localities had fonio and gave it great importance, while others knew very well about it, but never seemed to bother with it. In that part of Africa, at least, fonio's importance was linked to cultural traditions of certain small ethnic groups. Many questions about fonio (funde) in DR aside from the above. For example, how is the difficult process of dehulling handled? Have any of the advances in small scale mechanization of dehulling in West Africa come to DR? Anyway, this seems like a space worth watching as fonio grows in popularity. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Browntop millet video (new)
by Don Osborn 05 Sep '26

05 Sep '26

Gary Wietgrefe has a new video on browntop millet in the US, entitled "Brown Top Millet" at https://youtu.be/H1X8VwPUoYE "U.S. is likely the 3rd leading country producing brown top millet. Production area, agronomics, and uses are covered." Browntop or brown top millet (Urochloa ramosa or Brachiaria ramosa) is NAMA's millet-of-the-month in September. Sometimes also called Dixie signalgrass, In the US, as Gary mentions, mainly used for forage, wildlife, and in cover crop mixes. And that is mainly in the southeastern US. Use of the seed of US-grown browntop as a food grain in North America appears to be negligible at best, The main source of food grade browntop in our part of the world is via imports from India. In the food space, this is a less common millet, if you will, which is marketed online and in markets specializing in South Asian foods, under labels like Danodia, Manna, Jiva, and Shastha. DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

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"World Millets Day," Aug. 30 (a proposed observance)
by Don Osborn 30 Aug '26

30 Aug '26

The Hyderabad, India based Millets International Media Portal (MIMP) is promoting August 30 as an annual "World Millets Day." https://www.millets.news/article/milletsnews-calls-on-global-millet-communi… This is also being promoted by the World Millets Federation (WMF). The two organizations are connected through Indian business mentor Prasanna Srinivas Sarakadam, who is the editor of MIMP and founding member of WMF. This info from a Tanzanian news outlet, Diramakini at https://www.diramakini.co.tz/2026/08/world-millets-federation-pushes-august… WMF is a new international millets business platform, with website at https://wmf.eco/ The reason for choosing August 30 for this observance is not clear from sources consulted. We do not at this time see buy-in from major international organizations with interests in millets, such as ICRISAT or FAO, or national level research institutes such as IIMR in India., During the International Year of Millets, I raised the topic of a World Millets Week, rather than just a Day (on Collab, but also with FAO): https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… Obviously, if the World Millets Day is established, NAMA will support it. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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New video intro to millets
by Don Osborn 27 Aug '26

27 Aug '26

A surprisingly good 12 minute AI video intro to millets was recently released on the Green Truth Lab channel. Thanks to Gary for this catch and for bringing it to our attention: "Millet: The Grains That Fed China and Africa Before Rice and Wheat," 24 Aug 2026 (12:38) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTsDz4mbA2o THe video description: "Many people assume rice was the original staple of ancient Chinese agriculture but archaeological excavations reveal that farming in northern China actually began with millet. Across the world in the Sahel region of Africa completely separate species of millet were domesticated independently. Because these small grains mature rapidly tolerate intense heat and produce reliable harvests in poor dry soils with limited rainfall they sustained some of humanity's earliest civilizations long before rice and wheat took center stage. Scientific sources: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Plants of the World Online database and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Although wheat and rice eventually overshadowed millets modern agricultural research is bringing these ancient crops back into focus due to climate resilience and food security needs. Which part of millet history surprised you the most?" My comments: It's very useful to have content like this distinguishing among the grains that commonly, in the West, at least, get lumped under the term "millet." AI imagery always seems to have issues, but on the whole it tracks. THe video's emphasis on the individuality of each millet is helpful, as is its linking of the broadly common characteristics of millets that made them attractive crops in ancient times, with the needs we are seeing now. Anyone using this for education might want to clarify or add a few points: * Kudos for the mention of "millet" in ancient text. It's worth noting that foxtail millet and proso millet - which have different names in Chinese - were once considered two of the five basic grains of China (alongside rice, wheat, and soybeans). * One could frame the spread of the 4 millets discussed in the video as a vast counterclockwise movement of foxtail and proso west across more or temperat Eurasia, and pearl and finger east in the tropics from Africa to South Asia (and beyond). The actual histories are a bit more complicated, but I find this image to be helpful. * Fonio, from West Africa, and teff, from the Horn of Africa, are also considered with the millets. * To give a sense of the total number of cultivated millets, broadly defined, their relative importance in terms of production, and their botanical and geographic relationships, one might use the millets triangle. That;s available at https://milletsalliance.org/millets-triangle/ * By their sheer number and diversity, millets have a huge potential to enhance agrobiodiversity and nutritious multi-food diets. * Finally, one could add the roles many millets have taken on in the continents not mentioned, including of course our own, North America. I have no information on Green Truth Lab other than what there is on its YouTube channel. The is a Facebook page for a digital creator using the same name, but its logo is different and its YouTube outlink is dead: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590206090305 Anyway, let us know what your impressions are of the video. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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