Millets For Health & Sustainable Planet

Yuval Noah Harari says in his bestseller, ‘Sapiens’ and I quote;

The Agricultural Revolution was history’s biggest fraud. Who was responsible? Neither kings, nor priests, nor merchants. The culprits were a handful of plant species, including wheat, rice and potatoes. These plants domesticated Homo sapiens, rather than vice versa

Millets For Health & Sustainable Planet, Mufawad

 

Respected dignitaries and fellow students,

Good morning to all of you

In today's era of AI and IOT, where the baby boomers, the Gen X, the Millennials, the Gen Zee, the Gen Alpha, the people across all the generations alive have accepted and adopted the technology.

The era where the mental work is more valued than the physical work,

The era when the sustainability and health have become big concerns,

The search for healthy, nutritious, delicious and sustainable food options has intensified as well.

One such food group gaining popularity for its sustainability and health benefits are Millets, which are small seeded grasses cultivated as cereals as well as fodder. The examples include Bajra, Jowar, Ragi, Kangni etc.

These ancient grains, used by our ancestors long before rice, wheat, sugar and oats, are making a remarkable comeback as an environmentally friendly and nutritious food source.

Indeed, the world has came full circle when United Nations general assembly declared 2023 as the Year of Millets

With the world’s population exponentially increasing accompanied by three back to back industrial revolution, the demand and concern for food and its security is higher than ever.

This population explosion coupled with rampant capitalism has led to the excessive use of resources like water, land, and energy, causing pollution, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity.

Moreover, conventional agriculture, which relies heavily on monoculture crops like rice and wheat, often involves the use of fertilizers and pesticides, further damaging the environment.

The Millets have been cultivated for thousands of years in our Bharat as well as the civilizations from Babul to Misir, from Mayas and Incas to Cheen.

But why are we talking about Millets right now, Why did UN celebrate 2023 the year of Millets.

This chart might help us understand:

 

Millets are Versatile, can be grown in any climatic conditions

Millets have Low Resource Requirement, and almost no fertilizers

Millets require less water

Millets promote Biodiversity

Millets reduce carbon footprint

Millets enhance soil health

The second obvious question that may arise in our cerebral cortex is why did humanity shun millets in the first place. I suspect our elders were forced to shun millets by big corps. But on a positive note, the awareness about the health benefits of this super food is rising along with its affordability and availability. 

Millets, of course, do have umpteen health benefits:

Millets are Nutrient rich.

They are Gluten Free

They have low glycaemic index

They are protein rich

They are fibre rich

They prevent us from many diseases

Let me conclude my speech with a pledge.

For the sake of future generations, Let us all promise ourselves today here at ………………………… that we will add Millets to our breakfasts, suppers and dinners.

Thank You Have A nice day.

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