Abstract
Since 2019, the state of Karnataka has been supporting the production and consumption of millets. In this region, millets are a traditional crop and food. Yet, they are generally regarded as the food of the poor man, and they are also considered a neglected and underutilized specied since the so-called Green Revolution in India. In contrast, today, millets have been availed as a miracle crop due to their nutritional qualities, their low-environemntal impact, and ease of production. My paper, part of my Ph.D research, reviews my empirical observations in four regions of this state and how government policies in support of this crop have impacted farmers’ practices in terms of production and consumption of millets. Unexpectedly, government purchase and distribution of millets have had very mixed effects on farmers. My findings show that mainly larger and irrigated farmers are benefitting from these policies which were designed to support the poorest and most marginal farmers. Farmers are responding to the policies through intensification of millets and monocropping, undermining millets’ environmental, nutritional, and self-sustenance qualities that are put forward in the widely-supported public discourse.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Food Production and Sustainability
KEYWORDS
Millets, India, Superfoods, Neglected and Underutilized Species, Policy and Sustainability
