Millets are small grained, annual, warm weather cereals that includes 8000 species within 600 genera, of which only 35 species comprising 20 genera have been domesticated. Finger millet is grown as an important food crop in many developing countries of the tropical region; mainly in Africa and Asia. It is known as ragi and mandia in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Millets offer both nutritional and livelihood security for human being and fodder security for diverse livestock population in dryland regions of rural India.
Despite its rich resources like forests and minerals, Bundelkhand is a region of distress and crisis. A study fi nds that the distress of the region simply cannot be explained by the absence or irregularity of rainfall. There are long-term structural problems which have had a cumulative effect over the years.
The neglected and underutilized crops chosen for this study included finger millet (Eleusine coracana), Italian or foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and little millet (Panicum sumatrense). Two locations where these crops have been traditionally under cultivation and intrinsically linked with food security, livelihood and cultural identity of local tribal communities, were chosen as target sites.
A field experiment was conducted during 2002-03 and 2003-04 at Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana to study the possible options for diversification of existing rice-wheat cropping system.
Planning based on agro-ecological zoning aims at scientific management of regional resources to meet the food, fibre, fodder and fuel wood requirements without adversely affecting the status of natural resources and environment.
Cities have forgotten the amazing foods and cuisines they used to once enjoy. To remind them the Millet Network of India (MINI) and Kheti Virasat Mission organised the first ever exhibition of millets at the Press Club in Chandigarh called Bebe di Rasoi (Grandmother
Monsoon this year has failed most of India, causing drought in even well-irrigated and rainfed areas. Read this latest Down To Earth report on how our food preferences are making us vulnerable to drought.
