News

• In March 2021, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2023 the International Year of the Millet (IYM 2023).
• IYM 2023 will help raise political awareness of the benefits of millet and its key role in food and nutritional security. 
• Intensive promotion of millet in African food systems will help address the challenges of nutrition, health, job creation, security and climate change.

At its 75th session in March 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2023 the International Year of Millets 2023 (IYM 2023). 

In its announcement, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that IYM 2023 will provide an opportunity to raise awareness and focus political attention on the nutritional and health potential of millet, as well as on the cereal's ability to be produced under difficult and unstable conditions. It will also serve to promote the production of millet, and to highlight the fact that this cereal could open up new sustainable commercial outlets, to the benefit of producers and consumers alike.

The FAO organized the inaugural ceremony of IYM 2023 on December 06, 2022.

The hybrid event, held online and at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, was an opportunity for stakeholders to re-emphasize the importance of millet in the world's food systems.

"Millet can play an important role and contribute to our collective effort to empower smallholder farmers, achieve sustainable development, eliminate hunger, adapt to climate change, promote biodiversity and transform agri-food systems," said Dr Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General, at the IYM 2023 launch ceremony.  

A reference culture

In a virtual panel discussion attended by almost 1,500 people, CORAF's Executive Director hailed the initiative and reiterated that it was time to bring millet back to its rightful place at the heart of school canteen programs, infant meals, etc., especially in view of its many nutritional properties.

"Millet is one of the oldest crops known to mankind. Its proven nutritional qualities help solve many of the world's biggest nutrition and health problems. There is solid and growing scientific evidence that millet consumption promotes children's growth", said Dr Abdou TENKOUANO, Executive Director of CORAF.

"It survives with minimal water and at high temperatures, has a low carbon footprint and adapts to the world's biggest trends in healthy eating, which is a great advantage in a context where our food systems in Africa are prone to climate change, malnutrition and other health crises," he added. 

A golden opportunity

IYM 2023 aims to promote millet among various stakeholders, such as farmers, young people and civil society, and to encourage governments and political leaders to give priority to the production and trade of this cereal. Dr. TENKOUANO therefore sees it as a golden opportunity, especially for Africa, because, he points out, it will :

• Provide a platform for science-based trade, advocacy, knowledge sharing and capacity building across the value chain. This will make a significant contribution to overcoming malnutrition, tackling climate change, ensuring the well-being of farmers and creating jobs, particularly in Africa.
• Recognize the role of millet in stabilizing the landscape and consider it as a contributor to the preservation of agro-biodiversity.
• Recognize the role of millet in livestock feed, making it a key element in the peace between crop producers and livestock breeders.

CORAF is currently implementing a number of programs that include millet as a target crop, such as the Strengthening Networks and Institutional Capacities in Plant Breeding for the Development of Resilient Crops to Meet the Needs of West African Farmers(ABEE) project. 

It has also signed a partnership agreement with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - which works on several crops including millet - with the main aim of strengthening cooperation between scientists and researchers from the two institutions.

Read also: 

• A millet-based diet may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and help manage blood sugar levels
• Diversifying production and adopting good culinary practices to increase access to healthy food
• CORAF and ICRISAT sign a partnership to improve the well-being of populations in West and Central Africa