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Millets and Sustainable Development Goals:
The United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets to recognize the enormous potential of these ancient grains in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges. During this period, stakeholders across governments, organizations, and civil society showed great enthusiasm toward promoting millets. However, post-2023, there appears to be a noticeable decline in momentum.
To sustain and build upon the progress made, it is crucial to understand how millets contribute directly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and why their promotion must continue beyond a single commemorative year.
Millets are not merely traditional crops; they are central to creating resilient food systems, improving nutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture, empowering farmers, and addressing climate change. Their alignment with multiple SDGs underlines their significance in shaping a sustainable future.
Millets Support Climate-Resilient Agriculture:
SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land)
Millets are widely recognized as climate-resilient crops, capable of thriving in arid lands with minimal water, chemical inputs, and care. Their natural tolerance to drought, pests, and diseases makes them critical assets in adapting to climate change and mitigating its adverse effects on agriculture.
By including or expanding millet cultivation in national agricultural systems, countries can transition towards more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems. This shift supports “better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life”—the very vision outlined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Moreover, millet crops improve soil health by preventing erosion and facilitating biodiversity. In ecosystems under stress due to over-reliance on water-intensive crops like rice and wheat, millets offer a sustainable alternative, securing the long-term productivity of land and ensuring environmental protection.
Millets Address Hunger and Enhance Food Security:
SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)
In regions characterized by arid and semi-arid climates, millets often serve as the only viable staple crop. Their ability to produce reliable harvests during dry seasons makes them vital for ensuring food availability in vulnerable communities.
Millets’ resilience enables farmers to harvest even under challenging environmental conditions, preventing food scarcity during critical periods. In addition, because millets can grow in poor and degraded soils without exhausting nutrient content, they contribute significantly to sustainable land management and restoration initiatives.
Thus, promoting millet cultivation can directly contribute to ending hunger, achieving food security, and improving nutrition among populations that are most at risk.
Millets Promote Good Health and Well-being:
SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)
Beyond food security, millets offer immense nutritional value. They are rich sources of minerals, dietary fibre, antioxidants, and high-quality proteins. Their naturally low glycaemic index makes millets an ideal food choice for individuals managing diabetes and blood sugar issues.
Furthermore, millets are gluten-free, making them an excellent dietary option for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities. As whole grains, different types of millets (such as finger millet, foxtail millet, and pearl millet) provide diverse types of dietary fibre, which is instrumental in regulating digestion, stabilizing blood sugar levels, improving lipid profiles, and enhancing satiety.
Mainstreaming millets into modern diets can contribute to reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases, thus fostering healthier populations globally.
Millets Create Opportunities for Smallholder Farmers:
SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
The industrialization of agriculture and a shift toward rice, wheat, and maize have led to a decline in millet production and consumption. However, reviving interest in millets can create new and diversified income streams for smallholder farmers, especially in marginalized areas where other crops perform poorly.
Historically, millets have been deeply intertwined with indigenous cultures and traditions across Asia and Africa. Reinvigorating millet cultivation not only supports farmers economically but also preserves cultural heritage and traditional knowledge systems.
With increasing global demand for nutritious, climate-resilient food, millet cultivation, processing, and marketing can spur rural entrepreneurship, boost employment, and drive inclusive economic growth.
Value Addition and Proper Handling Enhance Millet Benefits:
SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)
Effective post-harvest management and agro-processing are vital to unlocking the full potential of millets. Timely harvesting followed by controlled threshing, dehusking, and storage practices ensures high grain quality and minimizes post-harvest losses.
Modern mechanized processes for millet dehusking are far superior to manual methods, as they improve efficiency, preserve grain integrity, and provide cleaner, market-ready products. These technological improvements not only reduce farmers’ drudgery but also enhance their incomes through better marketability and access to premium markets.
Furthermore, innovative product development—such as millet-based snacks, breakfast cereals, beverages, and health foods—can cater to traditional consumers as well as youth, urban populations, and global markets. These efforts can expand demand and ensure that millets are no longer relegated to subsistence farming but are seen as valuable commercial crops.
Expanding Millet Trade Diversifies Global Food Systems:
SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production)
Millets and sorghum account for less than 3% of the global grains trade. This underrepresentation offers an untapped opportunity to diversify global food systems, making them more resilient to production shocks and supply chain disruptions.
A more diversified grains portfolio, including millets, can help stabilize global food prices and enhance food system resilience in the face of climate-induced volatility.
Critical to this goal is improving market structures, enhancing transparency in trade volumes and pricing, and enabling millet traders and farmers to access digital tools and platforms. Digitization of the millet value chain—through apps, e-marketplaces, and blockchain traceability—can unlock significant value and broaden revenue opportunities for producers worldwide
Conclusion:
While the International Year of Millets 2023 brought much-needed attention to these “miracle grains,” the journey toward mainstreaming millets in global food systems must continue with greater commitment and innovation. Millets offer practical, scalable solutions to some of the world’s most urgent challenges: climate change, hunger, malnutrition, rural poverty, and environmental degradation.
By strategically promoting millet cultivation, consumption, processing, and trade, stakeholders at all levels—from governments to consumers—can make significant strides toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Millets are not crops of the past; they are crops of the future. Their full potential remains largely untapped, and now is the time to sustain the momentum, ensuring that millets take their rightful place in building a healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable world.
Author: Tapas Chandra Roy, A Certified Farm Advisor on Millets, ‘Promoting Millets from Farm to Plate’, and an Author of the book -” Millet Business Ideas-Empowering Millet Startups”. In a mission to take the forgotten grains- Millets to Millions. To remain updated on my blogs on Millets, please subscribe to my newsletter, and for any queries, please feel free to write to [email protected]