Parnavi Dinkar, Rahul Raj Singh, Tina Soni, and Vivek Kant
Millets stand at the intersection of sustainability and nutrition, offering a climate-resilient alternative to the resource-intensive grains. As a climate-conscious crop, millets provide a drought and pest-resistant option that requires less water, consequently making them a crucial component of future food systems.
Our objective is to redirect consumers’ focus from wheat to millet-rich diets, keeping in mind the geography, climate, demographics, and culture and bring a shift from the foreign grains to indigenous grains which are appropriate for people living in India.
To understand consumption patterns in both rural and urban India, a combination of mapping techniques was used. These included stakeholder mapping, mapping their extremities, categorising their breads, listing their ingredients, and detailing the cooking techniques and tools used. The maps also included annual average rainfall and temperature data, as well as information on digestion across different age groups.
Our findings emphasise the health implications of millets for several demographics, across various age groups and health conditions, emphasising the need for a healthier, accessible alternative. This project anticipates millet’s smooth incorporation into mainstream diets, including bread and staple foods, by rebranding it from “grain of the poor” to the “grain of the future”. As awareness rises, consumer behaviour will change towards health-conscious choices, paving the road for millet’s rebirth in regular use.
We aim to promote millet as a climate-conscious crop as it aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action. Redirecting and educating consumers about healthier alternatives also fulfils Sustainable Development Goal 03 – Good Health and Well-being. Lastly, bringing back millets into the diets ensures that there is no surplus that is getting unutilised, which targets Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.
Keywords: systemic design, system mapping, agricultural sector, ecosystem services, climate resilient crops, millet nutrition, food security, food systems, design for behaviour change
This is a map from the HFSS Studio (Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur). Related talk by Vivek Kant.
