Virtual Event, 19/09/2023
©ICRISAT
The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th Session in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). As part of the IYM2023 celebration, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is organizing an “IYM Global Webinar Series” to shed light on the various environmental, social and economic benefits of millets, their rich heritage and their vast potential.
Millets are a vital option to diversify agrifood systems and to adapt to changes in climate, especially in the drylands where many of the world’s most vulnerable populations reside. Millets are diverse, adapted to arid environments, require minimal external inputs, and thus provide small-scale farmers with opportunities for sustainable crop production systems suited to their specific environments. Millets are nutritious and to satisfy varied consumer demands there are significant prospects for value chain entrepreneurs to harvest, process and market a range of nutritious products.
Join this online seminar to hear insights from the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and to learn how to establish value chains for millets, from seed to table, including the creation of consumer demand, through practical experiences from Italy and India. Burkina Faso will share knowledge and lessons learned on how to reduce crop losses in sorghum. Following speaker presentations, there will be an interactive discussion to provide participants with a platform to ask questions and share experiences.
Interpretation in English and French will be available.
Agenda
Time | Agenda item and presenter |
14:00–14:05 | Opening remarks by Mr Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) |
14:05-14:15 | Millets and sorghum value chain developed from seed to table by Ms Ombretta Polenghi, Director of Global Research & Innovation, Dr. Schär, Italy |
14:15 –14:25 | Burkina Faso: case study on losses in sorghum and lessons learned by Mr Souleymane Traore, Agriculture engineer, FAO, Burkina Faso |
14:25 –14:35 | Successful processing practices of millets in India by Ms Shauravi Malik, Co-Founder, Slurrp Farm |
14:35 –14:55 | Q&A session |
14:55 - 15:00 | Closing remarks by Ms Diana Carter, FAO Food and Nutrition Division |
The webinar will be moderated by Ms Diana Carter, Nutrition and Food Systems Officer, FAO. |
