We have seen in earlier blog posts about the importance of Millets and how they form a critical component of the various food and climate systems of the world.
The ground reality is, however, that the overall “vibe” so to speak of millets is still that of a health fad, or a “good to have” grain that the average person wants to show off to their family on a lazy Sunday afternoon cook-off. Millets are yet to find a space on the dinner plate of the average person. For this to happen, a massive effort is required from well-meaning and fully-willing agencies of change to concentrate these widely spread out rays of hope and intention, into a penetrating laser that can cut across the noise of advice on health foods.
Since Millets are not only about health but economies, such agencies of change are a rather urgent requirement in the times we live in. We are fortunate that there are many organisations in 2022, in India, that are working exclusively on Millets and some, as part of their larger mandate. Within such organisations, Aranya Agricultural Alternatives based out of Telangana state stands out as a shining example of grit, vision and poise. For more than two decades the founders, staff and volunteers of Aranya have been playing a crucial role in shaping the conversation around Millets in India.
Aranya is, as the name suggests, an institution that helps people look at alternative methods of agriculture that are in harmony with nature, as opposed to moving away from it. This is achieved through keeping the three major themes in mind namely: 1) Empowering rural communities
2) Natural resource management
3) Creating and maintaining Sustainable Livelihoods
As we have seen before, millets are dryland crops that are useful to people and planet alike. In working with millets, Aranya is fulfilling the mandate in the above three themes. The story of how they did this in the past and continue to do so to this day, is that of seeing a few flowers astray on the ground. As the storyteller, it is my job to bring a thread and weave these flowers into a beautiful garland. Each one of the projects of Aranya are like the seemingly random flowers. Make no mistake however, that the thread of intention and strategy goes through them all, so we can enjoy the benefits of the garland at the end.
At the heart of the success of Aranya’s intricate and powerful social impact, lies the time and effort put into empowering rural communities. A seed is always going to grow when put in the right soil. An Apple seed, for example, will always grow into an Apple tree. People are not necessarily the same, and are full of surprises constantly.
Realising this, Aranya opened up conversations, especially the difficult ones, to understand what the surrounding communities closest to them were going through. Some people did not have land, some had land but no resources to take care of it and so on. By organising together and taking the help of willing people, Aranya was able to establish a firm foundation of a powerful rural community capable of taking decisions collectively, for the better good of all. A good decade was spent in doing this, in addition to the other aspects of the NGOs work.
Water, a crucial part of any farmer’s success story, was and still remains a bit of a scarce commodity in the areas where Aranya operates. So they helped the farmers understand the importance of watershed management, rain water harvesting and yes, growing millets as a form of strengthening their lands, bodies and minds.
An often-overlooked aspect of many developmental organisations is the important role that people play in the execution of blueprints of progress. Climate change alas, is human made and so we have to acknowledge the importance of human intervention before we revel in the seemingly simple solution of “introduce millets in dryland areas”.
Aranya as of today grows more than a dozen kinds of millets on their farm as well as gives seeds to the farmers who ask for the same. They are constantly engaged in a conversation of give, take, observe, process and improve. By encouraging the farmers to think of their progress as more of a community led process rather than as a government mandated or NGO driven process, Aranya has tapped into the hidden potential of the rural communities in the region where it exists.
On the consumer side of things, everyone who comes to Aranya is treated to a meal of millets, no matter the time of the day or year. This simple act of giving is a huge statement in many ways. Not only is it a sharing of the existing produce of the farm, but it is a silent and powerful way of saying, “how about eating millets for this meal? Then perhaps, the next. Then the next. Until you are able to fully sustain on millets”. At least this is how I see it and most certainly many have as well. That one meal can sometimes change life perspectives. It certainly has changed mine. On a fateful February afternoon many years ago. And it was not even Aranya farm – it was an agriculture university campus where I had gone to attend a program by Aranya. They were holding a display of various interventions done so far in agricultural alternatives and farming practices in general. Seeing so many practitioners of agriculture in one place was certainly a treat for my soul, but what stuck out to me was the grand feast of various millet dishes. Of course there were things that I could understand such as dal and sambhar, but instead of rice and wheat rotis, I was seeing new and interesting dishes with lovely flavour and aroma. These were different kinds of millet dishes and some rotis as well (including the famous Jowar roti)
After the event, I went on ahead to Aranya’s office and inquired about their activities. When I met the founders – Padma and Narsanna, I did not think that they would be giving me at least a decades’ worth of work to do in the field of Permaculture, Millets, Rural Livelihoods and Sustainability. And yet, here we are already in year number 7 from that fateful meal in the agricultural university. So I would say never underestimate what one lunch can do in your life!
Through the years, I have had the pleasure and privilege both, of working with Aranya on such projects as:
Crowd-funding widow farmers land operations and planting trees, growing millets
Community led initiatives such as millet processing, and making by-products such as millet flours and millet cookies for consumption by general public
Teaching/Training activities
Helping new farmers embrace the process of cultivating and consuming millets
In addition to Aranya, there are other organisations such as Deccan Development Society, The Timbaktu Collective and so on, that are working tirelessly in the field of millets propagation. The efforts of all these organisations are the reason why the markets today are having the curiosity to start including the millets of our country into their wallets and account books. For our part, we at Monks Bouffe work with millet farmers and NGOs to bring you wholesome and pure millet products to enhance nutrition for your body and mind.
Check out our millet offerings here
Aranya Web presence: www.permacultureindia.org