A Review on Green Revolution, Nutritional Transition, Diabetes and Millet Movement in India

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<p>The advent of the green revolution in the early 1960s in India, when high yielding varieties<br />were introduced into the farm coupled with enhanced irrigation facilities and fertilizers resulted<br />in massive agricultural output. The over emphasis on high yielding crops such as wheat,<br />maize and rice not only improved the harvest index and per capita food availability, but also<br />showed a nutritional transition among people. The indigenous whole grains such as amaranth,<br />barley, sorghum and millets were commonly consumed by people prior to the green revolution.<br />Among these, millet found a dramatic decline in cultivation. Various reasons can be attributed<br />to this shift from millet to other crops. However today, the typical diet of an Indian is of high<br />carbohydrate and low protein since the majority of consumers prefer rice and wheat in their<br />diet. This transition in nutrition from complex carbohydrates of indigenous crops to high<br />glycemic index foods such as wheat and rice is correlated with the incidence of diabetes<br />mellitus. The incidence of diabetes in India is growing exponentially and to combat it, a<br />demand for food containing complex carbohydrates with a higher level of dietary fiber is<br />needed. This review deals with the idea of ‘The Millet Movement’ in India, a strategy through<br />which the dietary management of diabetes can be handled in a better way considering the<br />nutritive value of the millet.</p>