SHIMLA/DELHI: Milletman of India and PadamShri Nek Ram Sharma, from Karsog Himachal Pradesh addressed the participants including scientists and experts at the three days long  Meet of the Mountain States-2023 that started in Delhi from March 23 to 25.

The meet is being organised in collaboration with Divecha Center for Climate Change of the Indian Institute of Science and MoEFCC.

Nek Ram Sharma has devoted his life time propagating cultivation of the millets in the area in Karsog in Mandi successfully for which he was honoured with PadamShri.    

Among the millets which were the mainstay of hill people included amaranth(Chaulai), Koda, Kauni, Cheene, Ogla and Fafra in Kinnaur.   

The meet has brought together members of the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI), law and policy makers from Indian Himalayan states and the central government, researchers and scientists of the IISc and other stakeholders engaged in the Indian Himalayan region.

The meet has also brought researchers and policy makers on board on the identified themes  of millets in the mountains and plastic menace  and bridge the gap between science and policy praxis through collaborative dialogues, actions and networking.

Meet would Synthesize recommendations of the mountain states so as to synergise and bring further clarity into the specific policies relevant for the mountains.

It would Create solution pathways for issues faced by the mountains and develop policy and research needed to address the sustainability problems.

MoM 2023 featured Thematic Discussions at agroecology in Indian Himalayas, 'Resurgence with Millets’ ‘International Year of Millets’ 2023 has been declared on India’s call.

#IYM2023 will be an opportunity to raise awareness of, and direct policy attention to the nutritional and health benefits of millets and their suitability for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions (FAO).

For mountain communities, this renewed interest in millets is very timely and one that must be leveraged.

Millets are a crop of great importance and have been an integral part of food culture in the mountains. Cultivated traditionally, millets have occupied a space that has fulfilled nutrition requirements as well as occupied a high cultural significance.

Millets are a resilient and nutritious crop and adapt to different ecological conditions that can withstand extreme heat conditions, low rainfall, long dry spells, making them an ideal plant in the face of changing climatic conditions.

Millets and other pseudo cereals have long been overshadowed in the agriculture development of India, especially in the mountains.

In the last few years, however, the Government of India has taken positive steps to promote millets.

Declaration of the millets as a 'Nutra Cereal ' in a notification in 2018 followed up with MSP for millets are some of them.

The conservation of land races and the diversity of seeds among farmers is top priority as many seed varieties have dwindled in the past decades.

Post harvesting processes are still rudimentary and there is great scope for innovation in the sector to match that of wheat and paddy.

Much of the millet ecosystem is to do with rain fed agriculture where a completely different regime of crop management needs to be adopted that needs mainstreaming.

Second theme is Plastic Waste Management in the Himalaya- Pathways for EPR implementation

Increasing urbanization and tourism in the Himalaya have made waste one of the most visible challenges.

Litter along trails in tourist spots and open dumping of waste in valleys and streams have become common, which is a huge public health and environmental pollution issue.

There is a clear intersection between food and plastic waste that has been established by the data from

The Himalayan Cleanups since 2018 that shows more than 80 percent of waste from home based audits and outdoor cleanups emanate from food packaging.

It is an indicator of the changing food habits and preference for packaged and processed food items and the need to look at waste from a larger systemic lens.

Mountain Legislators’ Meet organized in Darjeeling 2021 and Ladakh 2022 discussed extensively on plastic waste management in the mountains and extended producer responsibility.

The Leh Declaration seeking an amendment to the EPR framework to have specific mountain specificities, has been endorsed by legislators from across the mountains.

A policy paper for plastic waste management in the IHR has been drafted by IMI under UNEP’s project– Counter Measures II. The policy needs acceptance and implementation in the mountain states.

MOMS 2023  would make Himalayan Declaration in Delhi based on recommendations.

• Mountain Millet key action points to pilot projects of one health and millets in the mountains.
• Pilot actions projects identified for implementation in collaboration with IMI chapters for plastic waste management.
• Finalizing EPR recommendations that are specific for mountain states.
• Develop research and solution pathways needed for mountain sustainability problems.

The Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) is a collective initiative for recognizing the value of mountain regions and enabling people to realize its potential by integrating the knowledge and experiences of multiple stakeholders.

Events such as these increase the visibility and recognition of path breaking work by local people in the mountains, and reinforce the commitment of partnerships and collaborations between all stakeholders to take forward the cause of sustainability in the development of mountain regions.