This paper is based on a research project on local crops being currently implemented by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation with the support of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF). The primary research problem is how far the local crops could be leveraged to enhance food security through participatory research interventions aimed at increased productivity and profitability and how far value chain built on these crops could enhance the income to poor farm families. Examining the extent of re-tooling of the interventions to make them women-centric for reducing their drudgery in cultivation and post-harvest processing and how enhanced consumption of these crops would improve the nutritional status are other aspects of the research problem. The important group of local crops being studied are three of the six small millets or the ‘nutri-cereals’, namely, finger millet (Eleusine coracana), little millet (Panicum sumatrense) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica). These grains are nutritionally superior to other grains for their higher levels of calcium, iron, fibre, certain limiting essential amino acids and vitamins and also nutraceutically in view of their low glycaemic index and higher anti-oxidant activity. The research examines how participatory seed selection could be used to increase productivity and how integrated method from use of quality seed to better crop management and introduction of a value chain approach could contribute to improved availability of nutritionally superior food and increased income. The study could successfully induct locally suited simple machineries to eliminate the drudgery of women in post-harvest processing of these grains, how drudgery reduction promotes consumption of these grains and how it promotes village level value addition of grain. These interventions could establish tangible benefit to the communities in terms of food availability, improved nutrition and income and better conservation of local genetic diversity of these crops.