Millets are a hot topic this year due to the UN (United Nations) declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets. While millet cultivation is being promoted among the farmers, education institutions also are doing their bit. IHRD (Institute of Human Resources Development) College of Applied Science at Marayoor has come up with an initiative called the Rich Hill project which aims to not only promote the cultivation of millets but also help the tribal people of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary market the grains grown by them, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
IHRD Computer Science HoD (Head of Department) Padmavathy S, said, "The initiative was proposed and implemented by the college's tourism club. The college authorities decided to cultivate millets on five acres of land belonging to the college. Since we didn't have the know-how regarding the method of cultivation, we roped in experts from the Muthuvan tribe who reside inside the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary."
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"The project will be implemented in two phases. This year, the grains which are ready for harvest will be saved as seeds. We want to also create a seed bank to bring back the millet varieties that have vanished from the areas. However, next year the harvest will be sold in the market," said Padmavathy. The college's initiative is an extension of the Punarjani project that was implemented at Thennamarakudi in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.
"The project was implemented at the ooru (village) after health issues cropped up among the tribal people whose staple food was millet. Now, they have gone back to their old ways of food habits," she said. Even though cultivation is easy enough, the tribal people are not getting any monetary benefits due to a lack of marketing. "However, Lenovo, the tech giant, approached us with a solution. They are developing an app that will help in marketing the millet cultivated by the college and also the tribal people. They are also setting up the equipment needed for the same," Padmavathy added.
