Click on map to explore our projects
Improving the livelihood of smallholder farmers
Millet Overview
Millets refers to a group of annual grasses mainly found in the arid and semiarid regions of the world. Millets produce small seeded grains and are often cultivated as cereals.
Origin and history of millet
Source (June 2003)
Millets refers to a group of annual grasses mainly found in the arid and semiarid regions of the world. Millets produce small seeded grains and are often cultivated as cereals.
What is millet?
Millets refers to a group of annual grasses mainly found in the arid and semiarid regions of the world. Millets belong to five genera: Penissetum, Eleusine, Setaria, Panicum and Paspalum. These grasses produce small seeded grains and are often cultivated as cereals.
The millets are of paramount importance in Africa, Asia, China and the Russia Federation. Elsewhere in the world, they are treated as minor crops. Millets can be used as grain or forage. When used as grain they are categorized as cereals.
The group millets is often construed to include pearl (bulrush) millet, finger millet, prosso (golden millet) millet, foxtail millet, Japanese millet, Tef millet, Koda (ditch millet), Brown top millet plus four other species of limited importance.
Origin and history of millet
The origin of millet is diverse with varieties coming from both Africa and Asia. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) for example comes from tropical West Africa and finger millet (Eleusine coracana) from Uganda or neighboring areas. From African highlands, E.coracana was taken to India about 3,000 years ago, and to Europe at the beginning of the Christian era. Later, the crop was widely distributed both in many African countries as well as in the Indian subcontinent.
From Eastern Asia there are varieties such as froxtail millet (Setaria italica), common millet (Panicum miliaceum), little millet (Panicum sumatrense), barnyard millet (Echinochloa crus-galli) and Koda millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum).
The oldest historical roots of millet are to be found in China 4500 BC, where it was considered a sacred crop. One of the earliest recorded writings dates from 2800 BC giving directions for the growing and storing of the grain.
During prehistoric times, people of Northern India were also cultivating millet. Millet's travel continued throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa where it became a staple. It further became typical food of the Sumerian diet about 2500 BC. Millet was even mentioned in the Hebrew bible. The idyllic Hanging Gardens of Babylon were said to have included millet among their treasured plants. Through trading with Eritrea and Somalia circa 3000 BC, the early Egyptians learned from the Africans how to cultivate millet, which would grow well in the dry Sahara, where wheat and barley were unable to thrive.
There are about 6,000 varieties of millet throughout the world with grains varying in color from pale yellow, to gray, white, and red.
Source (June 2003)
- 1Crop Production in the Tropics and Subtropics at the Institute of Crop
Science, University Kassel
- 2Arie von der Velden, Harvesting in the middle hills
