Uniting Science and Innovation to Revolutionize Millet Cultivation Globally

A global scientific initiative is revitalizing millet cultivation to enhance food security and climate resilience. Led by the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, the project focuses on developing improved varieties of key dryland millets—pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail millet, and proso millet—through advanced breeding techniques such as mutation breeding, genomics, and gene editing.

This collaborative effort, now in its second year, brings together research institutions and agricultural organizations from countries including Burkina Faso, China, Ethiopia, India, Namibia, Sri Lanka, and the USA. A recent meeting in Vienna facilitated the sharing of early results and strategic planning, emphasizing the use of digital phenotyping tools and novel breeding techniques to expedite varietal development.

The initiative aims to produce millet varieties with enhanced resistance to environmental stresses and improved nutritional profiles, thereby supporting smallholder farmers and contributing to resilient agrifood systems. By fostering global partnerships and scientific innovation, this collaborative effort exemplifies how targeted research can drive sustainable transformation in agriculture.

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