After being neglected for three decades, Millet is returning to the tribal communities of Melghat region. The dedicated two years of Sabal programme holds greater significance in addressing chronic malnutrition and hunger by reviving the traditional food system in the region. More than thousand farmers through the dedicated encouragement of Sabal team have revived millet and food cultivation in the region.

Historically, Tribal community of Melghat region was self-sufficient in food crops having millet as their staple food. But in the last three decades, they have slowly reduced their traditional agricultural practices and food crops cultivation area and accepted mono-cropping pattern because of the impact of green revolution. This has posed a serious threat to nutritional and livelihood security and record child deaths due to malnourishment. The situation has aggravated due to crop failure or less production caused by climate change.

Sabal programme has made persistent efforts to bring back traditional knowledge and long forgotten food system in the community. A Millet / tribal food festival was organized at Jeevan Vikas Sanstha campus, Paratwada on 11th January 2018 to promote tribal community’s traditional food crops, indigenous seeds, their food pattern, forest-based food, and their culture by creating a platform for the Korku tribal community.

The millet grower farmers from the different villages of Melghat tribal region gathered with their delicious traditional food, millets grains, and other traditional grains, bioproducts, tribal ornaments, and traditional agriculture equipment’s at the tribal food festival.

Korku delegation submitted a memorandum to the Governor through Mr. Ramesh Mavaskar, Deputy Commissioner of Civil Food Supply to include minor millet in Public Distribution System.  Mr. Ramesh Mavaskar assured to send the memorandum to the Government for the inclusion of the millets in PDS.

Mr. A.M. Ingale, District superintendent of Agriculture, senior millets Scientist from Agriculture University, Akola, assured to promote cultivation area of millets through district agriculture department and mobilized improved seed for our millets grower farmers of SABAL.

People from different sectors joined the food festival program including doctors, professors, teachers, principals, bar council of Achlapur, Lokmat Sakhi Manch, press representatives, Government officers, bank and political sectors peoples and purchased various traditional food and grains from the exhibition stalls put up by the korku community.

The millet food festival not only organized the millets grower farmers’ community but also established a common platform for smallholder farmers of Melghat tribal region. The event built greater consensus between various departments, likeminded agencies, persons and millet grower farmers for the promotion of millet productions, consumption, and marketing. Sabal programme has felicitated and promoted millet grower farmers for re-establishing traditional/forest food among the Korku tribes to reduce malnutrition issues. The Government officers assured to increase easy accessibility of technology and knowledge for the improvement of cultivation practices of millets and appreciated the best millet grower’s farmers for the promotion of millets cultivation area under the SABAL program. Improved linkages between Agriculture University and district administration was established to mobilize technology for millet production.

Mrs. Jijibai Chotelal Mavaskar participating in the festival is producing two types of minor millets in her field and this year she received 10 qt. Kutki from her one acre of land. She urges, “I would like to request to Maharashtra Government to include our minor millets in Public distribution system so that our Korku community will get nutritious food and it will definitely reduce malnutrition issue of Korku community because minor millets are the major staple food of our community.”