Millets are a type of ancient grain that humanity has cultivated for over 10,000 years. These hardy, dryland crops include pearl, finger, foxtail and proso millets, which are grown across South Asia and Africa, as well as in Eurasia, North America and Australia.

But despite being climate-resilient and nutritious, they’re in steady decline and often overlooked for more commercial crops. Experts warn that we must act quickly to conserve the diversity of the world’s millets before it is lost forever.

Millets are high in micronutrients and fiber, gluten-free and have a low glycemic index, with a higher nutritional content than refined cereals such as rice, wheat or corn. They can also grow in very difficult, dry conditions with poor soils and at temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius – which makes them a prime candidate for feeding tomorrow’s hotter world.

However, millets are difficult to process, and while more reliable than most other crops from year to year, their productivity can be low overall, especially under unpredictable conditions caused by the climate crisis. Still, experts believe millets can play a huge part in filling nutritional gaps in the global food systems – if get the care they need.

The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM). Here on GLF Live, we close off the year with this episode, where we’re joined by scientist Chrispus Oduori and chef Wisdom Abiro to learn how we can bring these precious crops back to the mainstream.

From deadly cyclones to devastating droughts, Africa is already grappling with the effects of the climate crisis, which are being exacerbated by large-scale land degradation. At the same time, the continent is also home to one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, posing major challenges for its food security.

One important way to ensure a reliable and nutritious supply of food is by protecting crop diversity from being lost – which is why the Crop Trust has partnered with five African genebanks through Seeds for Resilience, a five-year project providing financial and technical support to safeguard the national seed collections of Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia.

In this episode, we speak with Daniel Ashie Kotey, acting director of Ghana’s national genebank, CSIR-PGRRI, and Nora Castañeda-Álvarez, who leads Seeds for Resilience at the Crop Trust, to learn how the project aims to bolster the country’s long-term food security and climate resilience.

Earlier this year, environmental leaders from 185 countries gathered in Vancouver, Canada for the Seventh Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), where they discussed ways to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and make conservation more inclusive.

The GEF Assembly also saw the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, a fund for protecting global ecosystems and species. The Fund will dedicate up to 20 percent of its resources to support Indigenous-led initiatives to protect and conserve biodiversity, and more than a third of its resources towards Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

In this episode, join host Peter Mbanda Umunay and experts Maria Helena Semedo, Jyotsna Puri and Christopher Brett to find out the key takeaways from the GEF Assembly and what they mean for ecosystem protection.