“Crop rotation is the first step to any sustainable farm practice"

In an exclusive interview with Diplomatist, Mr. Nate Blum, CEO of Sorghum United Foundation, shares insights into the potential for collaboration between India and global agricultural stakeholders to promote sorghum and millets. With India being one of the largest producers of these climate-resilient grains, Mr. Blum highlights the importance of leveraging technology, sustainable farming practices, and value chain enhancements to empower Indian farmers.

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The conversation also explores the role of technology and innovation in strengthening India's millet value chains, promoting diet diversification, and addressing food security challenges. Mr. Blum offers actionable insights on how India and the U.S. can collaborate to promote climate-resilient agriculture, particularly in dryland farming, where sorghum plays a vital role.

India is one of the largest producers of sorghum and millets. How do you see the potential for collaboration between Sorghum United and Indian agricultural stakeholders?

The Sorghum United Foundation does a lot of work in India. And we have an office in Varanasi. We continue to build collaborations with Indian research institutions, universities, farmers groups (FPOs), and more for the purposes of promoting local value addition and researching field to market trials. India is ahead of most peer countries in terms of the promotion and processing of millets for food, but adoption remains a challenge and a general lack of mechanization technology is a hurdle. Our Field to Market trials are, in part, designed to help bridge those gaps.

With India’s focus on millets through initiatives like the International Year of Millets 2023, how can global organizations like yours contribute to enhancing productivity and market access for Indian farmers?