- Collab - lists.millets2023.space

3 recent items on fonio (business, feature & research)
by Don Osborn 25 Jul '26

25 Jul '26

Here are three items on fonio: a business announcement; a feature article on fonio in West Africa; and a research article on the histories of the two fonios. Fonio is our millet of themonth in July. 1. "Premium Gold and Terra Ingredients Announce Launch of New Retail Fonio Products in the U.S.," Business Wire, 16 Jun 2026 https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260616061897/en/Premium-Gold-and-T… . The kicker on this news release: "Premium Gold and Terra Ingredients unite to bring responsibly sourced fonio to market with a shared commitment to traceability, farmer partnerships, and regenerative agriculture." Minneapolis-based Terra Ingredients deals in various food and feed products, and is a prominent player in the sourcing and importation of fonio, and "the only large volume fonio supplier." See https://terraingredients.com/fonio/ . Premium Gold is a North Dakota-based agriculture and food processing company specializing in CPG and bulk products (notably golden flax). They plan to market "Natural White Fonio in 10 oz and 2.2 lb stand-up pouches." 2. "Fonio, The Answer to Food Security in West Africa and The Sahel," by Pauline Kuranchie," Human Rights Research Center, 16 June 2026 https://www.humanrightsresearch.org/post/fonio-the-answer-to-food-security-… This article features Chef Fatmata Binta Bah, "an award-winning chef, founder of the Fulani Kitchen Foundation, and FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa," who was also one of the chefs spotlighted in the International Year of Millets. It gives an intro to fonio and discusses the cuisine of her ethnic group, the Fulani. (I would treat the characterizations of the Fulani in this article with caution: while there is an indisputable underlying cultural unity, there is also a lot of variation in the local cutures and livelihoods pursued by them.) Fonio, in any event, is present across West Africa, including south of the Sahel, and familiar to many ethnic groups. But it varies in its relative local importance and in the forms it is used (the ways fonio is processed and prepared in say the Akposso area in southern Togo are very different from those in the Futa Jalon in Guinea). The article's title's reference to fonio as "the answer" is reframed more modestly in its text as "one of the answers." Any discussion of food security in the Sahel begins with pearl millet production, which is ubiquitous in the region. Fonio's role has apparently increased in importance over the last 3 decades or so (see graph in article), and that is due in very large part to development and improvement of mechanical means to overcome the bottleneck of dehulling. The article has a very nice glossary at the end. 3. Kaczmarek, T., Cubry, P., Champion, L. et al. "Independent domestication and cultivation histories of two West African indigenous fonio millet crops." Nature Communications 16, 4067 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59454-2 This is a more technical article, getting into the origins of white fonio ("acha"), Digitaria exilis, which is what is marketed internationally, and black fonio ("iburu"), D. iburua, which is local in parts of eastern West Africa. ABSRACT: "Crop evolutionary history and domestication processes are key issues for better conservation and effective use of crop genetic diversity. Black and white fonio (Digitaria iburua and D. exilis, respectively) are two small indigenous grain cereals grown in West Africa. The relationship between these two cultivated crops and wild Digitaria species is still unclear. Here, we analyse whole genome sequences of 265 accessions comprising these two cultivated species and their close wild relatives. We show that white and black fonio were the result of two independent domestications without gene flow. We infer a cultivation expansion that began at the outset of the CE era, coinciding with the earliest discovered archaeological fonio remains in Nigeria. Fonio population sizes declined a few centuries ago, probably due to a combination of several factors, including major social and agricultural changes, intensification of the slave trade and the introduction of new, less labour-intensive crops. The key knowledge and genomic resources outlined here will help to promote and conserve these neglected climate-resilient crops and thereby provide an opportunity to tailor agriculture to the changing world." The full author list FYI & for the benefit of future searches: Thomas Kaczmarek, Philippe Cubry, Louis Champion, Sandrine Causse, Marie Couderc, Julie Orjuela, Edak A. Uyoh, Happiness O. Oselebe, Stephen N. Dachi, Charlotte O. A. Adje, Emmanuel Sekloka, Enoch G. Achigan-Dako, Abdou R. Ibrahim Bio Yerima, Sani Idi Saidou, Yacoubou Bakasso, Baye M. Diop, Mame C. Gueye, Richard Y. Agyare, Joseph Adjebeng-Danquah, Mathieu Gueye, Jan J. Wieringa, Yves Vigouroux, Claire Billot, Adeline Barnaud & Christian Leclerc -- Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Meet The Ryzosphere: live platform walkthrough with Joni & Finian, plus Q&A
by Joni Kindwall-Moore 18 Jul '26

18 Jul '26

Hello! We'd love to show you what we have built and what is coming next! Whether you are new to The Ryzosphere or already using the platform, this webinar if for you. Join 🎬 Finian Makepeace (CCO) and me, 🌱 Joni Kindwall-Moore (CEO), for one or more of our upcoming webinars. 📅 Wednesdays: July 22nd or 29th Or August 5th or 12th. 🕑 2pm ET / 1pm CT / 11am PT 📍 Register Here for the Webinar <https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VMZvAy38RISgiNLq7SZJXg#/registration> In 30 minutes (demo) + 15 minutes (Q&A), you'll see: - Why businesses and community organizations are signing up - Demo of how our platform works - Our map with 29,845 data points (and growing!) and how it works in practice - How to activate your business (your first year is free), or join as a community partner - Answers to your questions, live It's a good chance to meet the team and explore The Ryzosphere. Reply to this email: - If you have a question you would like to have answered during the Q&A. - If you can't make one of the webinars and want to meet with a member of our team, schedule a meeting with Greta <https://calendar.app.google/xLhwkaiZekaEBxfM7> aka GG. What we need from you: Share! 🤝 Please forward this email to any of your colleagues, friends, or others who you think would like to join us! Check out our LinkedIn! Get to know more about me, 🌱 Joni Kindwall-Moore <https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore/>, and my co-host 🎬 Finian Makepeace <https://www.linkedin.com/in/finian-makepeace-88b636153/>. *This email was written by a human, and a human will respond to this email. 😎 Rooting for our future! Joni Joni Kindwall-Moore Founder/CEO The Ryzosphere www.theryzosphere.io Let's connect! 30 min meeting <https://calendar.app.google/2G9qLFR1jKLL3So89> Cell-WhatsApp: 406-334-1608 *Intelligent Matchmaking for the Food and Ag System* The Ryzosphere <https://theryzosphere.io/> / Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/the.ryzosphere/> / Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/theryzosphere> / LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/greta-gissel/> [image: Embedded image] *The Ryzosphere: **In healthy ecosystems, the rhizosphere is the underground network that enables life to coordinate, share resources, and grow. It's one of the most biologically active environments on Earth. The food system needs that same connective infrastructure. The Ryzosphere is building the coordination layer that makes regenerative, resilient food systems economically viable at scale. As digitization becomes unavoidable, the winners will be those who own visibility, coordination, and trust. **Greek: rhiza (root) and sphere (zone of influence)* 784 S. Clearwater Loop #4597 Post Falls, ID 83854 Opt out <https://the-ryzosphere.attio-mail.com/u/eyJhbGciOiJFUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCI…> of future emails.

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Fwd: NAMA community in The Ryzosphere
by Don Osborn 10 Jul '26

10 Jul '26

Dear all, Here is Joni's intro to The Ryzosphere for NAMA. NAMA seeks to promote millets as sustainable crops and nutritious foods, and an important part of that effort is building the business community involved in their production, processing, and marketing. The Ryzosphere, as Joni explains, has a broader mission, not limited to millets. The overlap is handled by the communities feature within the larger Ryzosphere platform - in our case the NAMA Community. This collaboration also facilitates linkages with The Ryzosphere's broader user community. Please check out Joni's message to this list yesterday on the "Meet the Ryzosphere" opportunities to get a live "walkthrough" of the platform. Thank you, Joni and The Ryzosphere for making this collaboration possible! Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA PS- I'll be forwarding these notifications to NAMA's broader mailing list shortly Apologies on the delay. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Joni Kindwall-Moore <info(a)milletsalliance.org> Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2026 at 9:09 AM Subject: NAMA community in The Ryzosphere Hello North American Millets Alliance Community, Over the years, we've watched this remarkable network of thought leadership and innovation in the millets industry grow. We're grateful for your contributions and participation, on the Listserve, in our webinars, and across social media. Many of you have told us you'd like more visibility into the millets movement in the U.S. In response, we've formed a community on a new digital platform called The Ryzosphere. The Ryzosphere <https://theryzosphere.io/> is a digital community for the food and agriculture system, designed to help cultivate the success of our businesses, projects, and our shared purpose. There, you can connect with other suppliers, seed breeders, researchers and professionals in the millets industry. We will develop our community for the advancement of millets there so if you enjoy our Listserve and webinars, please join us in The Ryzosphere! Joining the community is free, and it's a great way to network with fellow NAMA members. You'll also have the option to activate your business and participate in The Ryzosphere's expanded community, which includes a marketplace advanced AI-matchmaking and more. We sent you an invitation from notifications(a)theryzosphere.io. It is probably in your spam folder. If you did not get a notification, please reply to this email and let me know. Thanks so much. As always, if you have any questions, just let me know- I am also happy to jump on a call to discuss. Here is my calendar. <https://calendar.app.google/q9yzrmB2NGQFZJfc6> -- North American Millets Alliance Team Joni Kindwall-Moore, co-founder 406-334-1608 This is what the NAMA Community in the Ryzosphere looks like [image: Screenshot 2026-07-07 at 7.07.30 AM.png]

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The place of sorghum among the millets
by Don Osborn 04 Jul '26

04 Jul '26

If you do a search on "is sorghum a millet?" you'll likely come up with a negative response that pivots on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) being botanically (taxonomically) more closely related to corn than it is to other millets. The larger botanical picture, however, is more complicated. Also, we also know that outside of North America especially, many consider sorghum among the millets - it was included in the International Year of Millets (2023) and is NAMA's millet-of-the-month in June. What is the case for including sorghum among the millets? On the botanical side, I've pointed out previously that while it is true that sorghum, like corn, is in the Andropogoneae tribe,/1 so too are adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi) and the rare but interesting Taiwan oil millet (Spodiopogon formosanus). Moreover, there are two other millets that are in an entirely different sub-family of Poaceae (the botanical grass family that includes all grains) - namely finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and teff (Erogrostis tef). WHich is to say, that they are more outliers than the Andropogoneae group. So, the botanical / taxonomic argument that sorghum should not be considered a millet doesn't really hold up. If we are to draw line between millets and not millets, it can't be solely on the basis of taxonomic proximity./2 The category of "millets" is in some ways a "folk taxonomy," largely shaped by history, culture, and language. So where does sorghum fall in these respects? Among its common names historically have been "great millet," "Indian millet," and "Egyptian millet" (although for the latter two it's possibly more complicated). On the other hand, it has also been called "Guinea corn," and one variety, "broomcorn" (the term "broomcorn millet" as I understand it, then compares proso millet - Panicum miliaceum - back to sorghum, based on the use obvious in the names). For some years, I've seen sorghum and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum / Cenchrus americanus) grouped as "major millets" as opposed to the many "minor millets" or "small millets" which as a general rule, have their grains in hard hulls./3 In these respects, it seems hard to separate sorghum out from the millets. In terms of production and extent of cultivation, sorghum is in a class by itself. The volume of grain sorghum harvested is roughly twice that of all other millets combined. On the other hand, its production is about a tenth of that of any of the major cereal grains. In terms of water use, it is comparable to many of the millets - which is to say, it needs less to produce than major cereal grains./4 In terms of marketing and consumer acceptance as food in North America, sorghum faces similar challenges to those of other millets. The latter is, for me, the most important consideration for NAMA continuing to include sorghum among the millets. At the same time, since sorghum in the US has an important, funded infrastructure for its promotion as a crop and food, we don't need to spend as much of our limited time and resources on promoting it. Ultimately, however, we don't need a debate on whether sorghum is or isn't a millet (maybe both are true?). My personal perspective is that sorghum and each of the other millets are individual grains that can play more important roles in our agriculture and food cultures. The category of millets, even if it might be a bit more fluid and even contested at its margins, facilitates our discussion of all of them in the future of food and ag. Notes: 1. Botanical hierarchy: … > Family > Sub-family > Tribe > Genus > Species 2. On the other hand, the more recent inclusion by some in India of certain pseudo-cereals - notably amaranth and buckwheat - among the millets goes too far, in my opinion. These are in an entirely different botanical family. Some have also used the term "pseudo-millets," but this term is not generally accepted, and in any event, is redundant to the accepted term of pseudo-cereals 3. Finger millet is an interesting exception, and in some recent literature, it is grouped among the "major millets." 4. Proso millet and pearl millet, however, are the most adapted of all the millets to hot and dry conditions. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Water Friendly Proso Millet (press release)
by Don Osborn 28 Jun '26

28 Jun '26

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2026 *North American Millets Alliance* By senior agronomist, Gary W. Wietgrefe *Water Friendly Proso Millet* Some crops squander water – not proso millet. Proso has about twice the water efficiency of corn. Farmers seek efficiency. For at least ten thousand years they have been selecting the best seeds for grains. Millets fit family needs. Proso is a good grain for cooking, very nutritious, easy to store, has a very short growing season, and produces grain during droughts. Scientifically, proso has a low transpiration ratio and high water use efficiency. A warm season crop grown at low to high elevations, proso is also heat tolerant. Agronomically, water-friendly proso has a shallow and very fibrous root system allowing it to collect nutrients and moisture even when limited. Microscopic soil biome needs moisture. The vast array of soil organisms is constantly collecting moisture, reproducing, dying and decomposing. Microscopic activity is most active during the warmest part of the grain-growing season feeding proso’s fibrous roots which constantly grow into physiological maturity seeking moisture and nutrients. Proso produces grain with less water than barely, wheat, corn and rice.[1] <#_ftn1> Tens of millions of those crop acres are irrigated each year. Ground water is being overused.[2] <#_ftn2> The U.S. irrigates over sixty-three million acres a year with forty-eight percent extracted from groundwater.[3] <#_ftn3> It is logical, ecological, and agronomically prudent to plant proso millet with the goal of maintaining sustainable ground water use. *About the author: Gary W. Wietgrefe has been a Certified Crop Advisor for three decades, written two books on proso millet, and coordinated proso irrigation research at Gobi-Altai Province, Mongolia (State University) and Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey.* ------------------------------ [1] <#_ftnref1> Rituraj Khound and Dipak Santa, Supplementing Dryland Wheat and Irrigated Corn with Proso Millet in Drought Years, March 4, 2026, https://cropwatch.unl.edu/supplementing-dryland-wheat-and-irrigated-corn-pr… . [2] <#_ftnref2> Alice Gibbs, The Largest U.S. Groundwater Supply is Running Out, Newsweek, May 29, 2026, https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/the-largest-us-groundwater-sup… . [3] <#_ftnref3> Irrigation Water Use, U.S. Geological Survey, March 1, 2019, https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/irrigation-water… . ### DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

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Prices and market trends for millets - 2 views
by Don Osborn 25 Jun '26

25 Jun '26

Several companies put out global market analyses for commodities, with website articles and for-sale publications (generally quite expensive). In the case of such reports on millets, I don't know how useful they actually are to businesses.. However, they seem worthy of noting, and do offer some interesting bits of information. Here are two I recently came across: 1. IMARC (two links) "Millet Prices Hit a 5-Year High in 2025: Nutrition Trends Drive Massive Market Shift," IMARC, 8 Dec. 2025 https://www.imarcgroup.com/news/millet-price-index "Millet Prices, Trend, Chart, Demand, Market Analysis, News, Historical and Forecast Data Report 2026 Edition," IMARC, n.d. https://www.imarcgroup.com/millet-pricing-report These focus on the US, China, Germany, UK, and France. My guess is that they are analyzing proso millet, which is the most traded of the millets, even if it is not the most produced. The first link above has this statement: "The global millet market reached 30.43 Million Tons in 2025 and is projected to grow to 34.1 Million Tons by 2034, at a CAGR of 1.26% during 2026–2034." According to figures I accessed a year or two ago, the estimated total production of all millets, including proso (but excluding sorghum), was on the order of 30 million MT/year. Th latter quantity, as I understand it, that would include a large percentage of production/consumption on household or local levels, which is not traded in ways that international businesses would find interesting. (I am in no way an expert on market analysis, so take my opinion only so far.) 2. Renub Research (two links) "Millets Market to Reach US$ 18.67 Billion by 2034 as Demand for Nutritious and Climate-Resilient Grains Accelerates," by Aman Ahirwar, Feast, May 2026 "Global Millets Market Report by Product, Application, Distribution Channels, Countries and Companies Analysis 2026-2034," Renub Research, n.d. https://www.renub.com/millets-market-p.php ' These spotlight the US, Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia, but with mention of a range of commercial initiatives involving millets going back to 2023. This report suggests that the millets market will experience a 5.21% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over the period 2026-2034. In 2024, the same company (Renub Research) had estimated a 5.88% CAGR for 2024-2032. See my short post about that of 8 Sep. 2024 at https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.spac… . I have no suggestion as to the possible significance of that decline, and don't have access to a series of annual CAGR estimates to look for any trends.. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Comparing proso from different sources for flavor?
by Don Osborn 21 Jun '26

21 Jun '26

When I was in Djenné, Mali, during the terrible drought year of 1984, some of the food aid that arrived included cornmeal from the US. I had occasion to taste this in the form of tuwo (a stiff porridge made with the flour of either corn/maize or pearl millet, which is served with a sauce, typically made with okra or baobab leaves), and was struck by the difference in taste and color. The tuwo made with American corn was yellower and sweeter than that made with corn grown in that part of Africa. It reminded me of the corn in cornbread. I mention this to underscore the fact that different varieties and provenances of the same food can have different taste. Turning to proso millet in the US, this grain is available from three different parts of the world: proso millet grown in North America (mainly the US), proso imported from China, and proso imported from India. Additionally, there is waxy or sticky proso available from the US and from China (as far as I know, this variety is not produced in India). In each case these are marketed under more than one commercial label. It is worth noting that one is unlikely to see all three in the same market - or at least I never have. Proso from the US is typically marketed simply as "millet," and sold in specialty markets like Whole Foods; proso from China (regular and waxy) is marketed in stores csaterining to East Asian cuisine (sometimes you'll see Korean labels, or multilingual including Vietnamese, for example); and proso from India is available in stores oriented to South Asian cuisine, typically labeled as "proso millet," and often with one or more names in Indian languages as well. So here's a question: Could we somehow arrange for a series of taste tests on proso from the US, Chna, and India, to see how diverse customers rate them? The information from such an experiement might open the way for US producers to market to ethnic makets. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance PS- If US compannies marketing proso want to sell their product in stores specializing in East or South Asian products, they would probably want to modify their labeling to clarify the type of "millet" inside, in tems that diverse customers would recognize..

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"Innovations in Hulled Millet Processing, Impact of Hydrothermal Treatment"
by Don Osborn 20 Jun '26

20 Jun '26

"Innovations in Hulled Millet Processing, Impact of Hydrothermal Treatment" (24 Mar. 2026) is a feature article on the India-based Milling and Grain website. https://millingandgrain.com/innovations-in-hulled-millet-processingimpact-o… It discusses implementation of a hydrothermal treatment of "millet" by Agrofirma Pole LLC (Ukraine). Based on the latter's location, I'm assuming this is proso millet. "Hydrothermal treatment is an advanced processing technology that uses steam and precisely controlled temperature to treat the grain (hulled millet) before further processing (e.g., milling into flour). This method is applied immediately after the initial cleaning stages – specifically after dehulling (removal of the flower hull), calibration, impurity removal, sorting and metal detection." I don't know how this method differs from what may already is done to treat various millets for shelf longevity. In any event, the article gives a thorough description of processing that incorporates hydrothermal treatment. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Four recent articles offering overviews of millets
by Don Osborn 19 Jun '26

19 Jun '26

Here, FYI, are citations, links and abstracts for four research and review articles about millets from the last couple of years. I came across these in a web search. The numbering here has no significance, and is intended only for convenience of reference: 1. "Millets: Journey from an Ancient Crop to Sustainable and Healthy Food" 2. "Millets: Ancient Grains for Modern Nutrition - A Comprehensive Review" 3. "The nutrition and therapeutic potential of millets: an updated narrative review." 4. "Millets and food security: a sustainable response to growing population needs." === 1. Mohanan, M.M.; Vijayakumar, A.; Bang-Berthelsen, C.H.; Mudnakudu-Nagaraju, K.K.; Shetty, R. "Millets: Journey from an Ancient Crop to Sustainable and Healthy Food." *Foods* *2025*, *14*, 1733. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101733 https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/10/1733 ABSTRACT "Millets, often known as 'nutri-cereals', have garnered renewed global interest due to their numerous health benefits, rich nutritional composition, resilience to extreme climatic conditions, and minimal environmental footprint. The advent of rice and wheat as staple foods in the 1960s led to drastic decline in millet cultivation worldwide. Recognizing the importance of millet, the United Nations (UN) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets in an effort to accomplish Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG-2), i.e., zero hunger, by increasing millet production and fostering research and development to improve the integration of these grains into mainstream food systems. In recent years, global production of millets has surged, with India leading as the top producer. Millets are nutritionally advantageous, consisting of carbohydrates, antioxidants, and biologically active compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids, phenolic acids, minerals, and vitamins. Incorporating millets into a balanced diet can help control and prevent diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammation, and malnutrition due to their enriched vital nutrients, low glycemic index, and gluten-free nature. This indicates a transition of millets from an 'orphan crop' to being used as ingredients for products (with or without fermentation) that are nutrient-rich, climate-resilient, sustainable, and health-promoting." === 2. Kaur N, Ray B, Kalyani CV. "Millets: Ancient Grains for Modern Nutrition - A Comprehensive Review." Indian Journal of Community Medicine. 2024 Sep-Oct;49(5):665-668. doi: 10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_765_23. Epub 2024 Jun 24. PMID: 39421505; PMCID: PMC11482393. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_765_23 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11482393/ ABSTRACT "Millets are a group of small, drought-resistant grains that have been grown for more than thousands of years. They are highly nutritious, rich in essential vitamins and minerals, and have gained attention in recent years due to their potential to address global food security and environmental challenges. This review article provides an overview of millets, their nutritional benefits, environmental advantages, and their role in promoting sustainable agriculture and processing of millets. The article also discusses the various types of millets, their cultivation, and their potential to improve human health and combat malnutrition." === 3. Jacob J, Krishnan V, Antony C, Bhavyasri M, Aruna C, Mishra K, Nepolean T, Satyavathi CT, Visarada KBRS. "The nutrition and therapeutic potential of millets: an updated narrative review." Frontiers in Nutrition. 2024 Apr 30;11:1346869. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1346869. PMID: 38746941; PMCID: PMC11091339. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1346869 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11091339/ ABSTRACT "Millets are ancient small grains grown in arid and semiarid regions of the world. They are staple food for many people in Asia and Africa. They are abundant sources of minerals and vitamins, giving them the name Nutricereals. Moreover, millets contain valuable phytochemicals that impart therapeutic properties for various disorders and diseases, thus giving them nutraceutical value. A wide array of biochemical compounds are present in the plant parts as well as the grains. In the oldest texts of medicine in India and China, millets are mentioned for use for their medicinal value. There has been expanding interest and emerging facts about millets and their therapeutic uses. Ample evidence shows that consumption of millets amounts to correction of life style and metabolic disorders. Therapeutic properties of millets can be viewed in two ways, supplementary nutrition through minerals and vitamins, and therapeutic value through the presence of phytochemicals and specialty compounds that include flavonoids, phenolics, anthocyanidins and others that have antioxidant potential. Millets are gluten free, have low glycemic index and the phytochemicals aid in correction of lifestyle disorders and prevention of ailments like carcinogenesis. Supplementary benefits include treatment of anemia and calcium deficiency especially for pregnant women and young children. With the improvements in analytical methods for detection of various compounds, it is possible to identify the compound-specific genotypes in millets that can cater to the pharmacy industry. End-use specific genotypes can be bred to meet the demand. Millets being climate resilient, can contribute to a healthier life and better world through economic usage of natural resources. " === 4. Borah T, Deka S and Sharma D (2026) "Millets and food security: a sustainable response to growing population needs." Frontiers in Plant Science. 17:1796931. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1796931 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.20… ABSTRACT "The increasing lack and limitations of key cereals such as rice and wheat, aggravated by climate change, growing population, and declining agricultural sustainability, pose significant threats to global food and nutrition security. In this review, millets—often termed as “nutri-cereals”—appear as a viable alternative due to their resilience to adverse agro-climatic conditions, higher nutritional profile, and diverse health-promoting properties. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the potential of millets in enhancing food and nutritional security, focusing on their nutritional and antinutritional composition, processing methods, health benefits, and patterns of global and Indian production. In vivo and in-vitro evidence suggests that millet consumption helps in the prevention and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and certain cancers. Although enriched with essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, millets contain antinutritional factors that can be reduced through traditional and modern processing techniques. Despite these benefits, challenges to consumer acceptance persist, driven by cultural preferences, sensory limitations, and limited market penetration. Policy initiatives in India and globally reflect the increasing recognition of millets as a pathway to sustainable agriculture, livelihood security, and women’s empowerment. The integration of millets into mainstream diets, supported by processing technologies, public procurement, and awareness strategies, offers a sustainable solution to malnutrition while advancing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals." === Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Quiz: Identify 2 millets in 2 images
by Don Osborn 19 Jun '26

19 Jun '26

This is a hard one. Here are images of the grain of two millets, side by side. These are small (minor) millets, imported from India. What are they? The first image shows the hulled grains, uncooked. 2small-millets-uncooked-20pc.png <https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=6356d3173c&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg…> (998K) <https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=6356d3173c&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg…> The second image shows the cooked grains. 2small-millets-cooked-20pc.png <https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=6356d3173c&attid=0.2&permmsgid=msg…> (1,022K) <https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=6356d3173c&attid=0.2&permmsgid=msg…> These images are at 20%. They occupy the same left-right positions in both images. If anyone wants to look more closely I can send the full sized ones. I mentioned these two recently to Joni and Gary, but they have not seen the images yet. Nevertheless, if they want to respond, please allow a little time in case others have guesses. Later I'll offer some comments on my personal taste tests of the two. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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