{"id":97,"date":"2023-05-18T07:29:30","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T07:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/?page_id=97"},"modified":"2023-05-18T10:56:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T10:56:59","slug":"a-cultural-and-agricultural-resurgence","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/millet.defindia.org\/?page_id=97","title":{"rendered":"A Cultural and Agricultural Resurgence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The formal launch of a massive campaign beginning in Pune to promote these nutri cereals is significant as millets make a comeback to our fields and table. Principal scientist at the Indian Institute of Millets Research B Dayakar Rao said, “The Pune event is basically an extension of the National Millet Mission mooted by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers’ Welfare across 14 states.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millets have a long and storied history in India. However, India’s agricultural policy during the past sixty years has prioritised the production of rice and wheat above millets. Food standardisation, according to Professor Martin Jones of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, is to blame for the extinction of millets in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The market is the key motivator, as it encourages farmers to specialise in a small number of commodities that have high demand. Having a wider variety of resources that won’t all go bad at once is essential for food security, which this lacks. Jones claims that “over 50% of the world’s food chain” is supported by the three most commercially viable grains at the moment: wheat, rice, and maize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to P V Suresh Kumar of Vishakhapatnam, a development expert, commercialization of agriculture is currently a top concern. In the past, farmers could pick and choose which crops, seeds, and locations they wanted to work. Inputs are currently controlled by the government and sometimes even international players. This compels farmers to adopt industrial-era farming patterns that place a premium on a select few crops. According to him, this is why paddy began to replace millets after 1976. Although they were a staple food, millet wasn’t heavily traded in India. The situation has turned around.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the Green Revolution in 1965\u20131966, 36.90 million acres were used for growing millets. Area planted with millet, on the other hand, fell to 14.72 million ha in 2016\u201317. “This has been largely due to policy impact, in addition to changes in consumption pattern, dietary habits, lower yields, lesser demand, and conversion of irrigated area for cultivation of rice and wheat,” says C Konda Reddy, assistant FAO representative. Because of this, many people, especially women and children, saw drops in their protein, Vitamin-A, iron, and iodine levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural Association<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cultural organisations and celebrations played a crucial part in the survival of millets, which were otherwise in danger of extinction. According to Kumar, the fact that people recognised the value of millets in their daily lives was the primary factor. North East Network (NEN)-Nagaland project manager Stephen Gangmei claims that millets were once revered as a medication due to their curative properties in an era when medical supplies were limited. The Metumniu celebration is held by the Yimchunger Nagas of Nagaland in August, following the millet harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millet festivals are still widely celebrated in India today. Mandukiya is a communal event celebrated in June and July in the tribal parts of Vishakhapatnam, according to Sanyasi Rao, programme manager at the Hyderabad-based non-profit Wassan. Recipes using ragi (finger millet) are served to the bullocks as part of this ritual. After the evening celebration of Deepotsav (Diwali), a ragi pancake is often required as a prerequisite to entering the home in many parts of northern Andhra Pradesh. On the occasion of Nagula Chavithi (the festival honouring the snake god), it is customary to prepare dishes made with ragi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Naresh Biswas of the charitable organisation Nirman, in Madhya Pradesh, madiah (ragi) is combined with turmeric and applied to the bodies of the bride and husband during wedding rites. Millet seeds are used to protect tribal societies from bad spirits. The Pahadi Korwa people of Chhattisgarh believe that millet stalks hung in their courtyards bring good luck in hunting and a plentiful harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these demonstrate India’s long-standing affinity for millets, which may be traced back to historical records. Remarkably, the tide appears to be turning as millets are once again becoming popular. We don’t anticipate a sharp reversal after 40 years, but we do see a shift taking place. Dayakar Rao argues that the time has come when people are adequately educated about millets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kumar argues that planting seeds, cultivating soil, and reaping crops are only the tip of the iceberg. Cultivation encompasses a wide range of actions, such as the performance of a variety of rites. “There is never a ritual if women are absent. Because of them, millets have been able to live. Kumar argues that millets can help women in agriculture if India opens up more opportunities for women in political leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is additional support for reintroducing millets. Reddy argues that, in light of the fragility of our agroecosystems, we should return to millet, one of the earliest staple crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madhya Pradesh’s century-old millet sikiya finds few revivalists
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Baiga community vouches for protein-rich sikiya but many have lost access. Deepanwita Gita Niyogi travels to Madhya Pradesh to find out what is causing the disappearance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Laheri of Baiga tribe in Madhya Pradesh shows sikiya as a plant, and its whole and dehusked grains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Baigas, they say, are no less than ecologists. The tribal community possesses the legendary ability to recognize hundreds of species around them and understand their various uses. Understanding their rich traditional way of life is at the forefront of the mind as one proceeds towards Dhaba village in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district. Dhaba is among the 52 villages across Dindori where the hills and forests have been home to this ancient tribe for centuries. As the steep slopes of Dhaba are climbed, a resident named Rangulal is encountered. His face lights up upon hearing the mention of sikiya, a millet known as Digitaria sanguinalis in scientific terms, which is grown and enjoyed by the Baigas. “It has been a long time since I’ve had sikiya. It is no longer found in my village,” he laments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, upon further inquiry about the millet in Dhaba, it becomes apparent that the younger generations have never even heard of sikiya, let alone tasted it. A primary reason for this is the changing agricultural practices of the Baigas. Traditionally, this tribal community practices bewar, a shifting, slash-and-burn farming method where the land is left fallow after three years of cultivation. Naresh Biswas, secretary of Nirman, a non-profit organization in Madhya Pradesh, explains that despite criticism from forest officials and agricultural scientists, bewar respects the forest ecosystem. Baigas typically burn invasive lantana bushes to prepare the fields and scatter the seeds of various food crops without tilling the land as the rains approach. This practice of high crop diversity, sometimes consisting of over 20 varieties, has traditionally provided for their nutritional needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Jiribai from the neighboring Pauri village mentions that sikiya is rarely cultivated deliberately. “Seeds that drop to the ground during harvest contribute to its natural growth,” Jiribai explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussions with researchers reveal that sikiya is a perennial wild grass species that easily regrows from the rootstock when the weather is favorable. According to Hans Dreyer, Director of the Plant Production and Protection Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization, “There are several species of millets. Crabgrasses belong to the digitaria genus, with 60 species, some of which were the first cultivated nutritious grains and others that are still grown today, such as Fonio millet or Digitaria exilis in Africa, for use as staple grains, porridge, and bread. However, many other species of digitaria are now considered weeds, with some classified as invasive plants.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though sikiya has not been extensively studied, Biswas suggests that the crop diversity in bewar plots is crucial for its growth. Unfortunately, the millet is disappearing from the Baigas’ food plate as more and more families abandon multi-cropping and turn to growing arhar (pigeon pea). “We have shifted to arhar as it brings us cash,” says Ramlal Rathuria, the sarpanch of Bouna village.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small yet filling<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere considered a weed, the Baigas have nurtured sikiya as a food source for centuries, using it to prepare kheer, a porridge-like dish. In appearance, sikiya grains are light yellow and smaller than those of little millets. Hariram from Silpidi village, where the Baiga community still harvests and consumes sikiya, attests to its filling nature, saying, “It is more filling than rice. Just 250 gm is enough to carry me through the day.” Gawalinbai, another resident of Silpidi, mentions that cooking sikiya is easy. “One has to just boil the milk and add the required quantity of sikiya for a delicious kheer. It strengthens the immune system,” she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Baigas continue to appreciate sikiya’s glorious tradition, the millet remains largely unknown to people outside their community. It is not even included in the list of millets being promoted by the government as “nutri cereals.” Krishna Prasad from Sahaja Samrudha, a non-profit organization based in Bengaluru, notes that one of the reasons sikiya has failed to gain mass appeal is the arduous process of processing the millet. Baiga women traditionally use a heavy wooden stick called musar to remove its hard outer covering, and the small size of the grain makes it challenging to separate from stones. Prasad emphasizes the need for suitable processing machines to overcome these challenges. Interestingly, sikiya is also known as the Polish millet as it is grown and consumed by farmers in Poland and used as fodder. It is also cultivated in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the government remains unaware of sikiya, efforts are being made by Biswas and others to popularize it. Biswas has sent grain samples to the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) in Hyderabad for nutritional analysis. Vilas Tonapi, the director of IIMR, explains that sikiya is a crabgrass finger millet and has always been a part of tribal culture. The ongoing analysis aims to determine its vitamin content, calcium, iron, and amino acids. In an attempt to assess whether sikiya can thrive outside the Baigas’ homeland, Soumik Banerjee, a native seed conservationist from Jharkhand’s Godda district, and researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (JNKV) in Jabalpur are conducting experimental cultivation. Ajay Singh Gontia, head of the plant physiology department at JNKV, shares their progress, stating that sikiya was sown in September and harvested in February last year, with plans to grow the millet again this year. However, the question remains as to whether these efforts will ensure the return of sikiya to the Baigas’ food plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dwijendra Guru, a sustainable food system activist based in Bangalore, cautions against mainstreaming sikiya. He believes that rather than simply popularizing and making it available throughout India, it is more important to ensure that the Baiga tribals have continued access to sikiya, and those who used to consume it in the past should reintegrate it into their diets. Guru suggests discouraging the relocation of these specialized crops from their native areas where they have been cultivated for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with water crisis, Karnataka now wants to revive millet cultivation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Millets consume at least 70 per cent less water than other crops and require minimum inputs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state of Karnataka is reportedly putting a lot of effort into “rebuilding farmers’ interest in millets through incentives such as a guaranteed buy-back and a bonus over the minimum support price” as a result of the state’s recent drought, irregular rainfall, and unusually lengthy period of hot weather. Millets are the best crop to grow during times of low rainfall. They need fewer resources, including water, to grow than most other crops do, and almost no pesticides. Low-risk crops that can withstand the effects of global warming are a boon to farmers. Millets such finger millet, sorghum, and others are superior to oats and quinoa in terms of cost, nutritional value, and ease of cultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the total area irrigated by the Cauvery River has been the same over the past two decades, water demand has nearly tripled due to shifts in cropping patterns, as reported by Down to Earth last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda of Karnataka recently told the BusinessLine that beginning on April 28 the state is hosting a three-day National Trade Fair on Organics and Millets to educate the public on the advantages of millets for their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Revival of millet production in Karnataka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Gowda did say that the state government is working to change that by promoting millet varieties like foxtail, proso, and barnyard as a nutritious alternative to oats and quinoa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government’s action has been successful, despite the low level of knowledge. After encouraging ragi and jowar production in 2013\u201314 by giving subsidised seeds, a guaranteed buyback, and a bonus over the MSP, the area under millets has begun to recover. About two million acres (ha) are dedicated to growing millets in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 30,000 hectares are devoted to growing foxtail and barnyard millets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on organic farming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organic farming minister said that in the last four years, an additional 120,000 hectares were added to the total area under organic farming, bringing the total to 180,000 hectares, and that the government is funding the production of organic products to encourage farmers and creating infrastructure like warehousing and grading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has taken some time, but Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka are starting to become known as a hub for organic crops and millets. The government hopes to encourage farmers to switch from rice or sugarcane to millets like ragi and sorghum by providing them with irrigation infrastructure and tax breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many communities around the world have used folktales for hundreds of years to explain their history and identity. Similarly, millet has been used as a foundational crop by countless societies. These tiny seeds provide big results when it comes to nutrition and adaptability, making them a valuable food source in places where other crops could struggle. Millets have a significant role in the mythology and folklore of many cultures. Millets, for instance, are thought to have magical characteristics and are utilised in rituals to bring good fortune and prosperity in various African cultures. In a well-known African folktale, the farmer who tames the snake that was eating his millet crop is rewarded with a bountiful harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several stories from the Grimm Brothers’ classic collection of fairy tales centre around porridge, including “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” In the narrative of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” porridge plays a significant role because it is the first thing the bears eat once Goldilocks enters their home. The Grimm Brothers’ “The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was” is the second well-known tale with a bowl of sweet porridge. A young guy sets out on a quest to understand the nature of fear and meets an elderly woman as she prepares a bowl of sweet porridge. She offers him a place to sleep and some of her porridge for breakfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millet has a significant role in the rich folk culture of India, one of the world’s greatest producers of millet.A popular folk song in Punjabi culture, “Bajre Da Sitta” is frequently performed at old-fashioned weddings. This song was written to celebrate a bountiful harvest of millets (bajra). The song’s lyrics convey appreciation for the fruitful crop and optimism for future harvests. The “Kuthiyottam” festival in the Indian state of Kerala is an example of a harvest festival associated with millets. This celebration, observed in November or December, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. During the festival, young boys are taught the traditional dance of “Kuthiyottam,” which is performed in honour of the deity and involves intricate rituals and the use of millet in the form of offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These legends not only highlight millet’s value to the culture, but they also serve as a gentle reminder of the significance of food in our everyday lives. They emphasise the relevance of millets as a staple food for people all across the world, as well as their cultural and historical value. We might also feel a stronger bond to our past and our forefathers’ knowledge through the stories of our folklore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional grains like millet have had a renaissance in recent years as consumers seek out healthier and more sustainable eating options. Millet flour, for instance, can stand in for wheat flour in baked goods like cakes, cookies, and bread. It’s a fantastic choice for those who need to avoid gluten because of its mildly nutty flavour and lack of gluten. We may all benefit from better health and a stronger sense of community if we rediscover and celebrate our ties to these time-honored dishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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