Foxtail Millet, The Crop of the Future, and the Possibilities of Including It in the ICDS: A Microlevel Study in Tripura
Autori: Anita Banerjee1, Kripa Mondal2
1Department. of Mgt. & Social Sciences, Amity University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan (anitabanerjee74@gmail.com)
2TRESP (World Bank Project), Agartala, Tripura, India
ABSTRACT
The recent surge in awareness, demand, and recognition of millets can be attributed to the United Nations declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets, largely due to India’s advocacy. Millets are being hailed as “future crops” owing to their resilience to the adverse effects of climate change, making them adaptable to various challenging climate conditions. The significance of millets has been underscored by the Indian government, which officially rebranded them as “nutri-cereals” in lieu of coarse cereals starting in 2018. Furthermore, numerous studies have emphasized the nutritional value of millets (Taylor R.N, 2017, RR Chapke, 2017), showcasing their potential to address nutritional deficiencies. This study aims to shed light on the significance of a specific millet variety, Foxtail millet, with recommendations to incorporate it into the staple grains distributed through the “Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP)” under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. Through a micro-level study involving a sample of 50 farmers, this research not only highlights the nutritional benefits but also reveals that the cost-benefit ratio of cultivating this nutritious crop surpasses that of other staple grains like rice and wheat. Additionally, secondary data from various sources supplements the findings of this study, underlining the promising potential of Foxtail millet in addressing nutrition and food security challenges.
Keywords: jhum cultivation, Supplementary Nutrition Program, monocrop, dryland cultivation
Talijansko proso, usjev budućnosti; mogućnosti uključivanja u ICDS studiju na mikro razini u Tripuri
SAŽETAK
Nedavni porast povećane svijesti, potražnje i prepoznavanja prosa kod potrošača može se pripisati tome što su Ujedinjeni narodi 2023. godinu proglasili Međunarodnom godinom prosa, uglavnom zahvaljujući zalaganju Indije. Proso se naziva “usjev budućnosti” zbog svoje otpornosti na nepovoljne učinke klimatskih promjena, što ih čini prilagodljivim različitim izazovnim klimatskim uvjetima. Indijska vlada je naglasila važnost prosa, koja ih je 2018. godine službeno rebrendirala u “hranjive žitarice” umjesto krupnih žitarica. Nadalje, brojne su studije naglasile nutritivnu vrijednost prosa, prikazujući njihov potencijal za rješavanje prehrambenih nedostataka. Ova studija ima cilj rasvijetliti značaj specifične sorte prosa, Talijansko proso, s preporukama za njegovu ugradnju u osnovne žitarice koje se distribuiraju kroz “Program dodatne prehrane (SNP)” u okviru Programa integriranih usluga za razvoj djeteta (ICDS). Kroz studiju na mikrorazini koja uključuje uzorak od 50 poljoprivrednika, ovo istraživanje ne samo da naglašava prehrambene prednosti, već također otkriva da omjer troškova i koristi uzgoja ove hranjive kulture nadmašuje onaj kod drugih osnovnih žitarica poput riže i pšenice. Osim toga, sekundarni podaci iz različitih izvora nadopunjuju nalaze ove studije, naglašavajući obećavajući potencijal Talijanskog prosa u rješavanju problema prehrane i sigurnosti hrane.
Ključne riječi: uzgoj Jhum, program dopunske prehrane, monokultura, uzgoj u suhim uvjetima
Cijeli tekst / Full text: https://haed.hr/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AEC-2023-02-01.pdf
