SDSN Commemorates International Year of Millets

The United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023) and named the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders. The objective of IYM 2023 is to raise awareness of, and direct policy attention to, the socio-cultural, nutritional, and environmental benefits of millet cultivation. The Year also promotes their potential to provide new sustainable market opportunities for producers and consumers.

Millets can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs and are resilient to changes in climate, rendering them an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency, reduce reliance on imported cereal grains, and adapt to adverse and changing climatic conditions. Millets are highly nutritious, rich in protein, fiber, and a number of vitamins and minerals. They are also free of gluten and a good choice for anyone with gluten intolerance. Further, millets have been an integral part of traditional cuisines in different communities across the world, although their prominence in the dietary composition has declined over the past few decades. Thus, driving awareness and encouraging consumption of millet will have substantial impacts on improved health, environment, and income in communities around the world, as well as revive the diminishing cultural values which are all core to the realization of the SDGs.

To celebrate the IYM 2023, the SDSN hosted a webinar series and photography contest to highlight the many culinary uses of millet.

Webinar Series

Webinar 1: History of Millets
This webinar took place on June 9, 2023.

Paul Newnham, Director of the SDG2 Advocacy Hub Secretariat and Coordinator of the Chefs' Manifesto, opened by presenting important ways millets can address pressing global challenges. Globally, around three billion people suffer from some element of malnutrition, while at the same time climate challenges threaten food security. One-third of food is lost or wasted, and agriculture contributes up to one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, requiring us to transform our food systems. Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2, adopted alongside the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015) aims to “end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture." Unfortunately, we’re off track to reach SDG2, and we need tangible simple solutions to excite people about foods that are good for people, the planet, and prosperity, while offering solutions which are affordable, accessible and available to all.

Millets offer one great solution and need to be part of the discussion. Millets are a diverse group of small-grained, dryland cereals that are rich in essential nutrients, fiber, and protein. They were one of the earliest crops to be domesticated and hold a rich history and cultural place in many cuisines. The world's current top producers are India, Nigeria, Niger, and China; however, millets only account for 3% of the global grain trade. In addition, millets are climate resilient and can therefore offer good yields even in challenging conditions, making them a solution for food security and to safeguard the livelihoods of farmers. They require significantly less water to produce than rice, and mature in half the time as wheat. Demand for millets has declined in recent decades, following the global expansion of wheat, rice, and maize. Paul Newnham said we have yet to tap the "unlimited potential of these ancient grains." Newnham also showcased a graphic of the many different varieties of millet, noting that each has its own nutritional values, important cultural significance, and culinary use. He emphasized that everyone has a role to play to increase the cultivation of and trade in millets, which further can support economic growth for some of the world's smallholder farmers.

Chef Manisha Bhasin, Corporate Executive Chef at ITC Hotels, shared recipes from her more than 30 years of putting local ingredients onto plates. Chef Bhasin noted that India consumed a lot of millets until the Green Revolution of the 1960s, when it began to decline in favor of wheat and rice. Today, Chef Bhasin is using millet in her restaurant in ways that respect its rich cultural and culinary history, but also bring in new innovations and flavors. She demonstrated for participants how to prepare Millet and Jackfruit Haleem (view recipe), and also suggested incorporating millets into yogurt as an alternative to granola, using millet flour in breads and pancakes, and using millet instead of breading for fish and chips. Chubbamenla Jamir, Co-Lead for Mountain Agriculture Thematic Working Group of the Himalayan Universities Consortium, moderated the event.

Webinar 2: Sustainability of Millets
This webinar took place on July 7, 2023.

Dr. Rebbie Harawa, Country Representative for Kenya and Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), began by discussing how crops, like millets and sorghum, can help build resilience and transform food systems, while generating a variety of co-benefits. Dryland cereals (millets and sorghum) and grain legumes (groundnuts, pigeon peas, chickpeas), are good for both people and the planet because they are nutrient-dense and are adaptable to climate change, drought conditions, and low nutrient soils. In addition to being affordable plant-based proteins, sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet are low on the glycemic index, provide daily requirements for iron and zinc, have high fiber content, are gluten free, and rich in antioxidants. As a matter of fact, finger millet has three and thirty times more calcium than cow milk and maize, respectively.

Millets are increasingly important all over the world. Many lifestyle diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and anemia, can be avoided with the introduction of millets to the diet. Millets require significantly less water and fertilizer to grow due to their drought tolerance and ability to thrive in poorer soils, and can be used for livestock and malting, as well. The ICRISAT plans to continue increasing awareness of the sustainability of millets at the India-Africa International Millet Conference to be held on August 30th and 31st in Nairobi, Kenya, later this year. 

Chef Pierre Thiam, Executive Chef of Nok by Alara (Lagos, Nigeria), Signature Chef of the Pullman Hotel (Dakar, Senegal), Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Teranga (New York City, USA), shared two recipes using fonio, an ancient variety of millet mainly consumed in West Africa. Chef Thiam explained that he is using fonio and other West African crops in his restaurants and company, Yolélé, bringing these underutilized crops to the global market. He demonstrated how to prepare an easy-to-cook fonio and mango salad (view recipe) and fonio chocolate pudding (view recipe). For additional recipes, see the cookbooks created by Yolélé and the ICRISAT. Chef Thiam concluded by emphasizing the importance of using underutilized crops, like millets, to transform the global agricultural system to one that is sustainable, resilient, and economically beneficial to local communities. The event was moderated by Lauren Barredo, Chief of Staff, SDSN.

Webinar 3: Nutritional Benefits of Millet

This webinar took place on August 10, 2023.

Professor Jessica Fanzo of Columbia University's Climate School, opened by emphasizing the significance of 2023 being designated as the International Year of Millets by the FAO. The FAO has dedicated an entire year of celebration to millets to spread awareness of the importance of this key opportunity crop. Millets are considered climate resilient, tolerant to nutrient-poor degraded soils, and can thrive in harsh growing conditions, such as drought. They do not require a significant amount of inputs; are integral to ancestral traditions, cultures, and Indigenous knowledge; and can create decent jobs for women and youth through innovative processing and marketing opportunities. Millets are also important for nutrition, contributing positively to both human and animal health, as well as thriving, sustainable agrifood systems.

There are many different types of millets used and grown around the world, including sorghum, foxtail, pearl, barnyard, guinea, fonio, and finger millet, which vary in their nutritional content, texture, color, shape, size, taste, agronomic practices, and daily use. When compared to other staple crops, such as rice and maize, studies have shown that many millets have higher protein, iron, and zinc content. When comparing nutritional yields, climate resilience, and price, Professor Fanzo and fellow researchers have found that across agro-ecological regions in India, for example, rice, the dominant crop of the region, is the least land efficient for providing iron and most sensitive to rainfall variability. Sorghum and maize provide high nutritional yields, while small millet is most resilient to climate variability.

Some studies suggest that millets have potentially important roles in contributing to human health because they have antioxidant properties and are anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial; they are important in reducing cholesterol, are low on the glycemic index, and promote healthy gut microbiota; they also have anti-carcinogenic potential. While the contribution of millets to human health is promising, increased research and resources are required to address the lack of accessible milling technology, declining seed quality (see the presentation above by Rebbie Harawa of ICRISAT), and the need to ensure that processing and post-harvest storage systems minimize the contamination of millets with anti-nutrients, aflatoxins, and fungi that can negatively affect the health of consumers. Professor Fanzo concluded by highlighting the importance of diversifying the crops we grow and foods we eat to sustainably transform local agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. The event was moderated by Dr. Chubbamenla Jamir, Co-Lead for the Mountain Agriculture Thematic Working Group of the Himalayan Universities Consortium.

Please see SDSN's Millet Cookbook that includes all the information highlighted in the series, including the recipes!

Youth Photography Contest

Beginning June 1 and running through August 31, 2023, we invited youth to submit photos of millet. Submissions were received on Twitter or Instagram by using the hashtags #IYM2023 and #MyMillet, and tagging @UNSDSN. The contest was open to youth, ages 16 to 30, from anywhere in the world.

The competition offered two prizes. One photo selected by the committee was featured on the cover of SDSN’s millet cookbook. A second 'People’s Choice Award' went to the photo with the most likes. Winners were announced via Twitter and Instagram in October 2023, and presented certificates at the SDSN's annual conference on September 20, 2023. The winning photographs were also displayed for conference participants. The selection committee was comprised of Chubbamenla Jamir (Mountain Agriculture Center, India), Lauren Barredo (SDSN, USA), Brighton Kaoma (SDSN Youth, Zambia), Grady Walker (University of Reading, UK), and Inbal Abergil (Pace University, USA). Photos were judged based on storytelling, creativity, and composition.

Special thanks and congratulations to our winners, Phindokuhle Phakathi (Selection Committee Award), Aadi Karnavat (People's Choice Award), and Gabriel Bugoma (Honorable Mention)!