QUES . Why are millets said to be climate friendly? Explain it in the context of International Year of Millets (2023) declared by the United Nations. UPSC IES/ISS EXAM 2023 General Studies . 200 Words . 5 Marks
HINTS:
֍Millets are environment-friendly grains.Increasing millet production and consumption can be a great way to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce the carbon footprint on the environment. This is one of the reasons for millets to be considered as the new-age global grain.
֍Millets can counter many of the adverse effects of climate change better than most other food crops.
֍Millets grow in almost any type of soil – sandy or with varying levels of acidity. Also they can grow in less fertile soil. Millets help in preventing soil depletion and improve its fertility and overall soil health.
֍They are drought-resistant crops and can survive well in hot temperatures too. This climatic resistance makes millet a preferred choice of crop for arid and semi-arid regions of India where growing other popular crops like wheat, rice etc., is challenging. Even among the sand dunes of Rajasthan, where other cereals are likely to fail, millets grow well.
֍Millets require 70-80% less water than other popular crops like wheat and rice. Thus, millets crops can be a great option to grow with less water supply. Millets have an efficient root system that captures the moisture needed even from erratic rainfall of about 350-400 mm a year, received over a few days.
֍Millet crops also have a good ability to sequester carbon and so help climate adaptation, considering the water needs and methane emission of rice fields.
֍Millets offer natural resistance to pests and insects. They require less pesticides to grow and can be a great option to promote organic agriculture.
֍Millets’ environmental benefits create lots of positive impacts ranging from helping in solving the food security issue to being a prime factor in achieving the SDG goals.
֍Millets can be the wonder crop providing food, nutrition and livelihood security, beating the adverse effects of climate change. All they need is support from policymakers.
