International Year of Millets (IYM 2023) Closing Event

29 March 2024.  The International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). The closing ceremony was an opportunity for stocktaking of the outputs of the year-long observance, for instance: the Background paper, Millets Recipe Book, the Chefs Challenge, Photo Contest, and Stories from Millet Champions. The lessons learned from the considerable co-creation and sharing of knowledge through partnerships and networks, such as the Millets Community of Practice, will also be shared.

Roundtable discussion: Research and development for the millets sector

• Rebbie Harawa Director International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Africa ProgrammeFatma Sarsu, Senior Plant Breeder, Joint FAO/IAEA Center of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency
• Tara Satyavathi, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, India
• Giovanni Dinelli, Researcher and coordinator of the EU GREAT LIFE project, University of Bologna, Italy
• Fritjof Boerstler, Senior Natural Resources Officer and Global Coordinator of the GEF-7 Impact Programs, FAO

Panel discussion: How have millets had an impact on your life?

• Makiko Taguchi Agricultural officer Plant Production and Protection Division FAO
• Abderrahmane Benkhalifa, Researcher, Algeria 
• Fatmata Binta, Chef and Founder, Fulani Kitchen Foundation, Sierra Leone and Ghana
• Hannah Binge, Researcher, Indigenous Grasslands for Grain team, Australia
• Naima Dhore, Farmer, Youth, United States of America and Somalia
• Patrick Mutepeya, Farmer, Zimbabwe

Resources:

As part of the IYM2023 celebration, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized an “IYM Global Webinar Series” to shed light on the various environmental, social and economic benefits of millets, their rich heritage and their vast potential.