Scientist bats for millets, indigenous cattle breeds to survive climate change

By M Chenna Nagaraj
Dec 18, 2018
New Delhi:Faced with serious problem of malnutrition leading to stunted growth and anaemia among children, Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is promoting revival of indigenous climate resistant millet and local cattle breeds both of which can survive rising earth temperatures and fulfill nutritional needs of the poor.

People in the mountainous region have understood that going back to the millet cultivation is the best option against global heat as the level of photosynthesis among the millets was better than rice or wheat crops.

Millets like ragi has high tolerance levels unlike rice and wheat that consumes a lot of water at every stage. It been a favourite food crop in the region for centuries, but in recent decades people started using other crops dumping madwa or raga as known in south India, Dr Suman Sahai, the leading gene campaign leader and a Magsesy award winner said.

Millets, she said was the real answer against the threats of climate change. Any rise in winter temperatures in Himalayas will have effect in the entire continent. Immediate impact will be on wheat and rice yields in plains of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Mrs Sahai’s concern comes in the wake of alarming reports from global health agencies suggesting that India was a home for 25.5 million children accounting for one third of world’s stunted and wasted children under five years of age.

Stunting, or low height for age, is caused by long-term insufficient nutrient-intake and frequent infections.

She said several research institutions across the globe and the country were actively engaged in promoting less water consuming crops especially millets.

Dr Sahai who runs an NGO to promote millet crops to overcome the nutritional needs of poor families, especially the school going children, said that there were several self help groups including the government-run Aanganwadis which were using millets to prepare nutritious rotis, malts and other snacks like nankeens to promote and revive millet
usage.

She said use of millets will not just contribute to global effort to minimise risks
against climate changes sweeping across the continents, but also give nutritional and economic benefits to the family.

The leading scientist also said that the indigenous cattle were also best insurance against rising temperatures. Only the local varieties of cattle will survive high heat.

They may yield a mere five litres of milk and not 20 odd litres like most imported breeds but will survive in hostile circumstances created by human interference with nature.