Climate-Resilient Crops and Tribal Women Empowerment

Abstract

The state of Odisha in India has a grim malnutrition problem. The growing risk of climate change is rendering rice-wheat cropping unsustainable given the resource intensiveness. The present chapter narrates the potential of nutrient-rich, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient millets to address the malnutrition among tribal populations. The dual challenge of malnutrition coupled with growing food insecurity, environmentally unsustainable agricultural practices on account of climate change vis-à-vis empowerment of tribal women was solved by the government initiative called the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM). OMM aimed to promote the cultivation of millets in the state to boost the livelihood concerns, and nutritional deficiencies. Women empowerment in tribal areas was taken up because vulnerability to climate change is exacerbated by inequalities and marginalization related to gender, low income, and other socio-economic factors. Solutions to combat climate change will be more effective if they can address this reality.