Millets: Rich in Heritage, Full of Potential - also in Belgium
Millets are promoted as a drought resistant, healthy cereal in many countries around the world. But could they also be grown and consumed in the Belgian context?
This was the question that the participants of the roundtable discussion organized by the Nourrir Liège Festival, were invited to explore. FAO Brussels Director, Raschad Al-Khafaji, and young Belgian pioneers of millet production agreed that millets hold significant potential for producers in Belgium.
Al-Khafaji opened the discussion by providing a global overview of the status of food security and the need to transform our agrifood systems. He noted that these efforts included promoting food products such as millets, given their many advantages. He then made reference to the International Year of Millets and explained that “to promote global millet consumption, we need to convince people of its taste and benefits for a healthy and sustainable diet. For example by sharing recipes!”.
“The crop gives high yields even with limited inputs, making it ideal for a sustainable production, even in the Belgian context”, said Eddy Montignies, founder of the Belgian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and Agroecology (BrioAA), who has done trials with millet production.
Members of the African and Asian diaspora also participated in the discussion, sharing experiences and noting that Millets are a staple in everyday diets in many of their countries of origin. The roundtable discussion was followed by a delicious dinner cooked almost exclusively with millets.
The Nourrir Liège Festival aims to nurture the debate on the future of food and the planet with all citizens and students of Liège, a city in the east of Belgium. It is part of a series of festivals in 7 different cities and regions in francophone Belgium. The main theme of the 2023 edition was “Food and Resilience”.
Would you like to know more about the International Year of Millets and how you can participate? Check out the official website.