Ranked sixth among the cereals that sustain humanity, this food source has high nutritional value.
On August 13, 2024, the World Economic Forum (WEF) cited information from the latest Global Climate Report by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) of the United States, stating that July 2024 was the hottest month ever recorded and marked the 14th consecutive month of record-breaking global temperatures since scientists began monitoring temperatures in 1850.
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) predicts that more than 3.5 billion people will need to adapt to temperatures higher than what is considered comfortable for humans.
With growing concerns about climate change, questions arise about whether human crops can survive such significant climate and weather changes.
Despite having over 50,000 edible plant species, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that only three crops – rice, corn, and wheat – account for 60% of the edible calorie supply. These are the staple grains for humanity.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by NASA predicts that corn yields will decrease by 24% by 2030 due to rising temperatures.
On one hand, climate change may reduce the yields of our main staple crops; on the other hand, the world population is expected to increase by 2 billion over the next 30 years.
This creates an urgent need to diversify human food sources and identify crops that can adapt to the harsh weather conditions caused by climate change while providing essential nutrients.
This is where millet – a grain projected to reach $18.3 billion in global market value by 2030 – comes into the food security narrative.
“Superfood” with High Nutritional Value
Millet is renowned for its ability to adapt to extreme environmental conditions, making it an ideal candidate for diversifying our global food supply in the future.
Millet is a group of small-seeded grasses in the Poaceae family and has been cultivated in Asia and Africa for over 4,000 years.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) refers to millet as a “superfood.” NLM states that millet is a short-duration crop with extremely high nutritional value and significant positive effects on human health, along with its resilience to climate conditions, holding a prominent position in global agricultural practices.
Millet is very drought and heat-resistant. (Photo: Britannica).
While millet was primarily grown by subsistence farmers in the past, awareness of its health benefits has increased globally in recent years. The United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millet to raise awareness of the health and environmental benefits of these crops.
According to scientists, millet is a “super grain” packed with nutrition. Millet provides carbohydrates (60-70%), fiber (10-12%), protein (6-9%), and minerals (2-45%). It also contains higher levels of calcium and polyphenols compared to major grains. Additionally, millet is gluten-free and has a low glycemic index.
Due to its high nutrient content, millet is believed to have many health benefits, such as being excellent for the nervous system, stabilizing blood sugar levels, improving digestive function, boosting the immune system, aiding in anti-inflammatory processes, being diuretic, and providing good blood-building properties due to its relatively high iron content. Those with type 2 diabetes can consume it.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, millet is currently grown and consumed in over 50 countries worldwide. Millet is the sixth most important grain in the world and is used by one-third of the global population as of 2023 [In 2023, the world population exceeded 8 billion, meaning approximately 2.6 billion people consume millet as part of their daily diet]. The Asia-Pacific region dominates the global millet market, as reported by Allied Market Research.
In Vietnam, millet is grown in regions with dry, hot climates, with scarce rainfall such as the Northwest and Central regions. Provinces that grow millet in our country include Lai Chau, Son La, Yen Bai, as well as Ha Tinh, Nghe An, and Quang Tri.
According to the Economic Complexity Observatory (OEC), the leading data visualization tool for international trade data, in 2022, Vietnam became the 33rd largest millet exporter in the world. The fastest-growing millet import markets for Vietnam from 2021 to 2022 were Turkey ($240,000), Russia ($107,000), and the United States ($53,400). Total revenue from millet exports during this period reached hundreds of millions of USD.
India is the largest producer of millet in the world, holding a 41% market share, followed by African countries such as Niger (11%) and Nigeria (7%).
Millet and Its Exceptional Adaptability to Harsh Conditions
The main staple crops (rice, wheat, and corn) were domesticated thousands of years ago and have since undergone hundreds of cycles of hybridization and adaptation to thrive in ideal farming systems, often supplemented with nutrients and water. As a result, they have lost their natural ability to withstand environmental hardships.
Unlike the three popular staple crops, millet thrives in harsh growing conditions. It is often grown in marginal, barren lands with little or no fertilizers, limited rainfall, no irrigation systems, and minimal pesticide use. Consequently, millet yields are relatively lower; however, their resilience is much stronger.
Millet possesses various adaptive mechanisms that enable it to survive in extreme environmental conditions, such as extreme heat, drought, and poor soil conditions. Millet has deep roots and a short lifecycle, allowing it to grow and produce seeds when conditions are favorable.
Other adaptations found in millet include low stature, thick cell walls, and small leaf area. Most millet species exhibit improved photosynthesis rates, better water-use efficiency, and enhanced nitrogen-use efficiency compared to major grains.
Additionally, from the time of sowing, millet can be harvested in 12-14 weeks, whereas rice and wheat take 20-24 weeks.
Millet has better climate resilience than major grains. (Source: Nblxer/Envato Elements).
Climate change will directly affect food security; there is no debate about this reality. While increasing the yields of major grain crops is important, it is also crucial to recognize that these crops are not suited for cultivation in harsh and unpredictable weather conditions.
The growing concern for food security and nutrition, as well as environmental sustainability, is creating immense pressure on humanity to allocate and conserve resources wisely.
Therefore, we need to consider diversifying crops and incorporating species that can adapt to changing conditions while having nutritional values equivalent to or better than the major grains on which we currently rely excessively.