Neglected Millets, Crop Diversity and Nutritional Security: Paradox of Millets in India

Abstract

Crop diversity, millet crops and their erosion are matters of rising concern. Millets are known in several ways to various stakeholders. Some people consider millets as climate-resilient, climate-smart, eco-friendly, contingency and future crops; as nutri-cereals, nutraceuticals, smart and future foods. For some people, millets are ‘neglected millets’, ‘underutilized millets’, neglected and under-utilized crops/species; they are often undervalued as ‘minor millets’, minor crops and coarse grains. For some other, millets are stigmatized as ‘marginalized grains’, ‘marginalized millets’, ‘marginalized crops’ and crops for the poor. At the empirical dimension, on one hand, the traditional producers and consumers of millets from tribal and rural areas are losing and lacking interest in such cultivation and consumption. On the other hand, there is a reinvention of tradition, as nutritional values and health benefits of millets are realized by the urbanites and educated sections. Thus, I see a paradox of millets. Therefore, the present article studies the status of traditional and ‘neglected’ millets and also the trends of their cultivation and consumption. It identifies the opportunities, constraints and challenges for millets use for achieving sustainable food security and nutritional security and towards the Sustainable Development Goal 2.