Servicenavigation

Project Details

Back

Projekt Print View

From “poor man’s food” to “nutri-cereals”: emergence of a new millet assemblage in Odisha, India

Subject Area Social and Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology
Term from 2020 to 2024
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 445737126
 
Final Report Year 2025

Final Report Abstract

The project focused on millets as a key resource in Odisha, India. Based on anthropological and archaeobotanical research, continuities and changes in the use of different types of millets in urban and rural contexts were analysed. After decades of favouring cereals such as rice, wheat and maize, the re-evaluation of millets as an ecologically and health-relevant resource has led to a series of new measures being introduced in Odisha, both by the government and with the help of NGOs. On the one hand, these actors create incentives for farmers to grow more millets. On the other hand, they try to convince city dwellers of the health benefits of these grains. The research project therefore focused on activities of the Odisha Millet Mission (OMM; now: Shree Anna Abhiyan) and their effects on producers and consumers. For example, millets were included in the state distribution system (PDS), seed banks were established and local millet varieties (landraces) identified, the cultivation of millets, especially finger millet, was promoted in project farms using new technologies, the consumption of millets was encouraged through restaurants, cooking events and recipe books, marketing was increased through trade fairs (e.g. millet conventions), sporting events (e.g. hockey championship) and festivals (e.g. raja festival), and the development of state (mandi) and local (haat) markets for millets was promoted. The project researched these developments primarily in two rural regions of Odisha, in the Gajapati district and in the Koraput district, and in the capital Bhubaneswar. It has been shown that in rural regions, finger millet in particular is increasingly being cultivated, commercially marketed and distributed, that in the urban context, diverse and very creative ways of marketing millet have been found, that millets are now integrated into the local production and distribution chains that link the products from the villages with consumers in the cities, that millets have lost importance as a staple food in some places in rural areas, but continue to play a major role in everyday life and on religious occasions, especially for women. In cooperation with the University of Groningen and the Utkal University, the project has created a website, supported the development of an archaeobotanical grain archive, contributed to the production of a film, curated a small exhibition and was involved in the conception of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). One dissertation has been completed and another is nearing completion.

Publications

 
 

Additional Information

© 2026 DFG Disclaimer / Copyright / Privacy Policy

Textvergrößerung und Kontrastanpassung