One Day Hands on Training Programme

Nutri-cereals are commonly known as millets and are among the most climate-resilient crops that play a vital role in sustainable agriculture, nutrition security and adaption to erratic climates.  They are drought tolerant, require very less water compared to rice and wheat surviving with low rainfall of 300–400 mm due to their deep root systems help withstand moisture stress effectively.  They are also heat tolerant that perform well under high temperatures that are suitable for rainfed and dryland regions.  These crops are less affected by heat stress during critical growth stages with short crop duration of 65 – 120 days and suitable for multiple cropping systems and enhance agro-biodiversity. 

Nutri cereals require low inputs as grow well with minimal fertilizers and pesticides, promoting organic and natural farming with low cost of cultivation and reduce climate-related risks.  Also, they are resilient to poor soils, thrive in marginal and degraded soils as well as grow in saline and low fertility soils.  

These millets have nutritional benefits as they are rich in dietary fiber lowing their glycaemic index, high in minerals like iron, calcium and zinc as well as gluten-free and easily digestible crops.  The harvested produce when sold directly give low returns to farmers but value addition to millets helps increase income, shelf life, consumer acceptance, and nutritional benefits.  The value addition helps to increases farmers’ income, generates employment for rural women and SHGs, improves nutrition and food security, enhances market demand and price and reduces post-harvest losses.  The baked items help in setting up small-scale processing units that has scope in local marketing for SHGs

Climate-resilient nutri-cereals are “future smart foods” that address both climate challenges and malnutrition. the promotion of their cultivation, consumption and value addition is essential for sustainable and resilient food systems. In this context, one day hands on training programme on nutricereal based healthy baked items like baked ragi beetroot fingers and ragi biscuits was organised at Nutri Bakers hub, AICRP on Women in Agriculture, Hyderabad on 18.12.2025 with the active participation of farm women.