started in July 2022.
"India has successfully promoted millets for climate resilience, food security, and small farmers' livelihoods, particularly women, during the International Year of Millets 2023. These stories on millet mainstreaming will inspire practitioners and institutions to learn from the diverse good practices brought together," said Shri Suman Bery, the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.
"Millets must be made more fashionable or popular as they have health benefits, especially for lifestyle-related choices," he added.
"Collaboration through expert deployment, knowledge transfer, policy dialogue, and study visits to strengthen the food security of small farmers is an important strategy for WFP in India. The collection includes inspiring case stories to help countries learn and invest in traditional climate resilient crops such as millet," underlined Ms. Elisabeth Faure, Country Director, WFP in India.
Dr. Neelam Patel, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog, said the compendium would help showcase the best practices worldwide. This collection is expected to serve as a reference for integrating millet into mainstream food systems, offering insights for making informed decisions and exchange through South-South Cooperation and policy dialogues.
Promoting millets as a staple food, dietary diversification through millets, and increased investments and productivity are common talking points during open discussions.