Millets, a low-carbon cereal crop, are sustainable and require less water and pesticides. They are environmentally friendly and have been developed in India over the past 50 years. Pearl millet, rich in micronutrients like iron and zinc, can help combat malnutrition and hidden hunger.

Dr Berhanu Bilate Daemo thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Millets may provide us with climate change insurance in the future. Millets can withstand extreme weather, such as drought and high temperatures. They may thrive in the driest, toughest environments. When compared to other cereal crops like rice and wheat, millet has a high nutritional content and is drought-resistant. Millets are climate-resilient crops that can grow with less water and chemical inputs. Millets-based production system helps reduce the carbon footprint and improve energy use efficiency. Paddy requires 1,200-1,500 milliliters (ml) of water, whereas millets require just about 600-800 ml water per acre.Millets are very tolerant of heat (up to 64 degrees Celsius), drought and flood and it makes the crop an obvious choice for farmers in an era of climate change and depleting natural resources. Millets are an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains. Millets are not water- or input-intensive and are suitable for “climate smart agriculture” as the world would increasingly be facing the challenges of drought and its adverse impacts on agricultural crop yields. As Millets are resistant to climatic stress, pests and diseases, this makes them a sustainable food source for combating hunger in changing world climate. Further, millets are not water or input-intensive, making them a sustainable strategy for addressing climate change and building resilient agri-food systems. Grows in warm, arid climates receiving around 45-100 cms of rainfall annually. Temperature requirements are around 20-35 degrees Celsius in Kharif season and around 15 degrees Celsius in Rabi season. Grows well in sandy loamy soils having good drainage and humus with a pH range from 6-7.5.Millets could be key to ensuring food and nutrition security, resource sustainability, and economic empowerment. Thus, it is critical to create policies towards reversing the global trends of decreasing consumption and production of millets, and enhance consumer awareness of their nutritional and health benefits. Small millets can potentially play a significant role in promoting immunity, supplying fodder, enhancing biodiversity, and safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods in addition to addressing food and nutritional well-being. Finger millet can play a key role in fighting malnutrition and bringing down the numbers of malnourished children less than five years of age. “Finger millet is high in calcium, zinc and iron. Hence it is good for children, young women and breast-feeding mothers. Millets are rich sources of nutrients, such as carbohydrates, protein, fibre, and good-quality fats, and contain significantly higher amounts of minerals, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and B-complex vitamins. Millets are an excellent source of slow digestive starch and fibre.

millets are also known as shree ann and is popular for their low water requirement and can withstand a temporary drought condition the millets are better known for reducing soil erosion and can cope up the abiotic stress therefore they are better for providing a good nutritional content to the population amid of coarse cereal and they are also good absorber of carbon dioxide and are excellent source of energy and can contribute to the climate resilience better. millets are also easy to cook and can produce more grains per plant which are rich in fiber, protein and carbs and are available easily .

Dr Himanshu Raj thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Millets are climate-resilient crops that can grow with less water and chemical inputs. Millets-based production system helps reduce the carbon footprint and improve energy use efficiency. Paddy requires 1,200-1,500 milliliters (ml) of water, whereas millets require just about 600-800 ml water per acre.Millets may provide us with climate change insurance in the future. Millets can withstand extreme weather, such as drought and high temperatures. They may thrive in the driest, toughest environments. When compared to other cereal crops like rice and wheat, millet has a high nutritional content and is drought-resistant. They are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals that can help prevent chronic diseases and promote good health and well-being. Finally, because millets require fewer resources to grow than other crops, they can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. Millets as a Key to Improving Food and Nutrition Security and Promoting Sustainable Consumption. Millets have high nutritional value, are resilient to a changing climate, require fewer resources compared to other popular grains, and are often regarded as 'nutri-cereals' or 'super foods. Millets require less water than rice and wheat. They are very tolerant of heat (up to 64 degrees Celsius), drought and flood and it makes the crop an obvious choice for farmers in an era of climate change and depleting natural resources. Added to this, millets require very little water for production and have a short growing period under dry, high-temperate conditions, making them a good fit for arid and semi-arid regions. Millets use 70 per cent less water than rice; grow in half the time as wheat; and need 40% less energy in processing