Reviving Indigenous Tribal Agricultural Traditions and Resilience in Balangir District

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Project Details

Category: Agriculture
Project Title: Promotion of Millets in Tribal Areas of Balangir District
Department or District: District Administration Balangir
State: Odisha
Start Date of the Project: 20th June 2018
Website: https://balangir.odisha.gov.in/about-district/who-s-who

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Tribe(s) that the Project Covers: The project primarily benefits tribal communities residing in the Balangir district, such as the Gonds, Khonds, Saora, Binjhwar, Dal, and Shabar, who have traditionally cultivated and consumed millets but experienced marginalization and exclusion due to shifting consumption patterns and agrarian crises.

Keywords: Millet, Nutrition, Women SHG, Tribal Agriculture

The Promotion of Millets in Tribal Areas of Balangir District is a flagship initiative under the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM) launched in 2018. It targets the revitalization of millet farming in a region historically characterized by drought, migration, and malnutrition. The project focuses on enhancing production, encouraging consumption, conserving traditional landraces, and improving market access. Implemented under the administrative leadership of the Collector and District Magistrate, the project has involved community institutions, NGOs, and technical organizations. It aims to re-establish millets as a staple crop, improve nutritional and livelihood security, increase household millet consumption, and reduce distress migration through sustainable agricultural practices.

What was the Need

Balangir district has suffered from recurrent droughts, poor soil fertility, and high poverty rates, leading to mass migration. The shift toward paddy cultivation, combined with low yields of millets due to outdated agronomic practices and a lack of quality seeds, further aggravated the agrarian crisis. Millets had gradually lost their place in local diets, and the nutritional and cultural value of traditional millet consumption was being forgotten. There was a pressing need to revalorize millet food cultures and improve the productivity of millet-based cropping systems.

What Hindered its Introduction

Lack of coordinated policy support, absence of post-harvest infrastructure, and poor market access created multiple barriers. Changing food preferences, stigma attached to millet consumption—particularly the perception of millets as “poor man’s food” in contrast to rice—and the absence of millet-based products in government welfare schemes like PDS and ICDS further marginalized this food system.

Process Followed for Implementation

• Government
  • The initiative was implemented by the District Administration Balangir with support from the Odisha Millets Mission. Administrative coordination was led by the Collector and District Magistrate, while policy guidance came from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment. The state supported price benchmarking, DBT incentives, and ensured millet inclusion in government schemes.
• Involvement of NGO
  • Local NGOs and technical institutions played a key role in mobilizing community participation, delivering training on sustainable agronomic practices, and supporting the development of seed systems and processing units.
• Involvement of Community
  • Community institutions such as Women Self-Help Groups (WSHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and individual farmers were involved in seed conservation, planning, post-harvest activities, and awareness campaigns. Their participation ensured the project adapted to local knowledge and agroecological contexts.

Solutions Implemented

A comprehensive strategy was adopted to address the challenges across production, processing, consumption, and marketing levels. At the production level, yield was low due to the absence of quality seeds and improved agronomic practices. A lack of farmer willingness—attributed to limited profitability—was met with the introduction of improved seeds and the demonstration of best practices through a farmer-to-farmer extension approach. At the post-harvest level, 26 processing units and 52 enterprises were set up to reduce drudgery and create livelihood opportunities. Massive awareness campaigns were launched to address the stigma of millet being a “poor man’s food” and to reintroduce it as a prestigious and health-conscious choice. At the market level, FPOs were engaged for procurement, while incentives through DBT and MSP support helped ensure economic returns for farmers. Millet-based products were also introduced into welfare schemes such as PDS, MDM, and ICDS.

Details of the Coverage

Since 2018, the project has reached 5,335 farmers and covered 2,683.2 hectares. In 2022-3, 21,029.86 quintals of finger millet were procured. Six FPOs facilitated marketing under MSP, and millet-based food products reached over 10 lakh beneficiaries through government schemes. Tiffin centers and food outlets in urban and rural areas supported revalorization and entrepreneurship.

Innovation and Unique Features

Odisha became the first state to offer DBT incentives for millet cultivation. Balangir adopted this with success and introduced price benchmarks for minor millets. The project mainstreamed millet-based food into institutional schemes and created channels for value addition in both rural and urban markets.

Community institutions guided implementation through participatory planning and adaptation of training. Millet festivals, food events, and local champions shaped strategies to revive food cultures and farmer motivation.

Communication materials were localized, and IEC efforts addressed different literacy levels. Seasonal food programs engaged pregnant women, lactating mothers, and schoolchildren. Training sessions were customized for accessibility, and Rath campaigns brought millet culture to villages.

Challenges Faced Before Implementation

• The absence of integrated state-level procedures delayed project rollout. Limited government capacity, rain-fed dependence, and uneven land access required adaptive planning and stakeholder engagement.
• Low status of millets in public perception and minimal market incentives discouraged farming. Aggregation, storage, and processing infrastructure were not available.
• State-level consultations and cross-learning workshops supported inclusive design. Farmer-to-farmer learning, demonstration plots, and institutional support created momentum for adoption.

Challenges Faced During Implementation

• Initial difficulties with scaling productivity due to poor seed quality and fragmented holdings persisted. Institutional coordination for value chain development needed time and support.
• Stigma toward millet consumption remained a barrier, especially in urban areas. Weak demand and limited rural purchasing power delayed enterprise viability.
• Guaranteed procurement, incentive schemes, and community-run processing reduced risk. Cultural campaigns, school inclusion, and urban marketing drove demand.

Outcomes

• Quantitative
  • Yield increased from 3.7 to 8.06 quintals per hectare. Procurement rose from 2,056 quintals in 2019 to 21,030 quintals in 2022–23. Over ₹7.52 crores worth of produce was aggregated by six FPOs. More than 10 lakh individuals accessed millets via government schemes.
  • 5,335 farmers directly benefited. 10,23,713 individuals received millets through public schemes. Women gained livelihoods through enterprises in processing, tiffin centers, and marketing.
• Qualitative
  • Millet consumption improved in both urban and rural households. Women-led enterprises enhanced local livelihoods and revived millet-based knowledge. Public and institutional recognition of millets as nutritious, climate-resilient crops increased.
• Monitoring and Evaluation
  • Monitoring and evaluation were enabled through cloud-based storage of results and regular performance analysis at the state level. To enhance transparency and accountability, all stakeholders in the Edu-Tribe project are liable under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and project data is made publicly accessible via a centralized dashboard. Additionally, each stakeholder’s role is clearly defined in the project delivery mechanism and monitored separately at different administrative levels to ensure oversight and integrity throughout the implementation process.

Replicability / Scalability / Sustainability

• The program is integrated into Odisha Millets Mission and supports replication in other agroecological zones through district planning. The framework was recommended by the Government of India for scaling innovations in millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
• With ₹700 lakhs sanctioned for expansion, the program uses DBT and market linkages to maintain profitability and supply chain viability.
• Odisha Millets Mission was initially implemented in four blocks of Balangir district and has since expanded to seven blocks, demonstrating the scalability of the model.

Presentation

Video

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