Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students will learn about local millets from farmers in interactive sessions in school after their exams. Celebrating the International Year of Millets (IYOM) as announced by the United Nations, the board has instructed its affiliated schools to conduct various activities.
As per records, ‘Millets’ were among the first crops to be domesticated in India with several evidence of its consumption during the Indus valley civilization.
Hence, the Board has urged schools to educate students about the same. CBSE director (academic) Dr Joseph Emmanuel asked schools to conduct activities related to millets in the form of competitions such as essay, poems, quiz, etc.
“A millet map may be hung on the classroom wall prepared together by teachers and students,” Emmanuel said.
Further, schools can organise exhibitions showing different millets with their nutritional value and possible recipes providing an opportunity to students to taste them.
“Experts/ farmers should be invited to share their knowledge and experience regarding millet as a crop,” Emmanuel said. He asked schools to invite different stakeholders including parents to attend the programmes.
Padma Shri Janak McGilligan Palta |
Traditional food of India
Being grown in more than 130 countries at present, millets are considered traditional food for more than half a billion people across Asia and Africa. In India, millets are primarily a kharif crop, requiring less water and agricultural inputs than other similar staples. Millets are important by the virtue of their mammoth potential to generate livelihoods, increase farmers’ income and ensure food & nutritional security all over the world.
Millets are good for environment and provide nutrition
Millets have been an integral part of our diet for centuries. In addition to a plethora of health benefits, millets are also good for the environment with low water and input requirement. To be able to explain this and the process of the same to children would make a huge difference in the way we look at millets.
Nikky Sureka, an organic farmer and dairy owner |
Kids need to learn and support millets
The problem that we all face majorly is that most people grow up eating only wheat and rice. They have not developed an interest or taste for millets. This is because we have failed to understand their importance. Millets are sustainable and healthy. Most of the millets are non-acid forming, non-glutinous, highly nutritious, and easily digestible foods.
