Thank you. Makiko. Your historical context on Japan's reduction in millets cultivation in favor of rice is appreciated. It will be interesting to hear Prof. Mikio Kimata's presentation on millets in Japan, along with the other presentations in your upcoming webinar. Of course the main focus of Collab is millets in North America, but it not infrequently happens that topics from around the world come up. If we are to see more research and trials on barnyard millets (Echinochloa spp.) in this region, it will be important to interface with the history and practice of cultivation and consumption of these species, mostly in Asia, and to some degree in Europe and apparently also to a lesser extent in Africa. Another interesting item, tangentially related, is finger millet (Eleusine coracana) in Gifu prefecture in central.Honshu,/1 which may have been grown more widely at one time./2 If finger millet (apparently known in Japanese as shikokubie シコクビエ /3, and locally in Gifu as karabe) was cultivated there as early as the article on Gifu seems to imply, that would imply a remarkably rapid dissemination out of East Africa and South Asia to Northeast Asia in ancient times. Finger millet is another millet that probably has excellent potential in certain regions of North America. It is currently grown mainly in research contexts, altho there are ornamental varieties available via seed companies. Finally, the California-based Tamalpais Trust has a project with Slow Food Ryukyu on a locally traditional millet (species/variety not specified) in Okinawa. Thanks to Jonathon Landeck for that information, and for the article on Gifu./1. All the best, Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA Notes: 1. https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/asahi-karabe/ 2. Abe Chatterjee, S., van Andel, T. "Lost Grains and Forgotten Vegetables from Japan: the Seikei Zusetsu Agricultural Catalog (1793–1804)." Economic Botany 73, 375–389 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-019-09466-z On Mon, Jul 10, 2023 at 2:27 AM Taguchi, Makiko (NSP) < Makiko.Taguchi@fao.org> wrote:
Dear all,
I have read the thread regarding Japanese millet and use of millets in Japan with much interest. I am not an expert on the subject but recently I have done some looking around and my understanding was that Japan mostly abandoned millets production during the Edo period (1603-1867) when the shogun used rice as the means for “tax payment” and basically forced the country to produce rice.
Tomorrow we will have a webinar on the historical aspects of millets where Prof. Mikio Kimata, who is an expert on millets will be speaking about the history and use of millets in Japan. I hope many of you would be able to attend.
FYI we are establishing a global millets community. It is on the Dgroups platform. I hope you can take part in that group also. Please go to https://dgroups.org/fao/millets
If you have never been part of a Dgroup community, you will have to register.
Best regards
*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@fao.org
Web: https://www.fao.org/plant-production-protection/en
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