Small Millets : Climate Resilient Crops for Food and Nutritional Security

Small millets are considered as nutri cereals and are a source of food, feed and fodder. The crops are grown in a variety of agro-ecological situations like plains, coast and hills as well as in diverse soils and varying rainfall. They are known for resilience and drought enduring capacity and are relatively less prone to major pests and diseases. Crop improvement efforts focused to state / regional needs from the point of developing appropriate agro production technology for maximizing production / productivity. Package of practices such as time of sowing/ planting, choice of varieties, time and method of application of fertilizers have been developed for different regions of the countryfor cultivation various small millets. Plant protection measures to control economically important diseases and pests have been evolved. Rich diversity of small millets crops has made them well suited for contingency crop planning and also to address the issues of climate change. Small millets are superior in some or most of the nutritional components compared to most widely consumed rice and wheat. These millets contribute towards balanced diet, and can hence ensure nutritional security more easily through regular consumption along with keeping the environment safe as they are low input crops mostly adapted to marginal lands. Small millet crops are viewed as important for health and wellness of people and can help in preventing many kinds of diseases related to modern life style including obesity, diabetes. Of late, plenty of elite food chains have begun selling millets and millets based products on their shelves as health food. The importance of regular food use of nutrient dense millet for achieving a holistic food and nutritional security is widely recognized. This paper deals with all aspects of small millets with reference to varietal improvement, food and nutritional security.