Lahari Bai: India’s Millet Marvel

In a world that is increasingly becoming reliant on processed foods and maida, Lahari Bai is striving towards preserving indigenous millets and is a true inspiration to the farmers in India. Lahari Bai’s vision is to adopt sustainable agricultural practices and promote a nutrient revolution.

Lahari Bai preserving millets in her two-room house, Source: The Better India

India is the largest producer and the second-largest exporter of millets in the world. Around fifty per cent of the people in India are employed in the agriculture sector, and millet cultivation is one of their primary crops as it requires eighty per cent less water than other crops such as wheat and rice. Millets can thrive even in poor and degraded soils, and their nutritional value greatly contributes to soil health and preservation. India cultivates various types of millets, common ones being ragi, jowar, bajra, and kangni, among others. After India's proposal, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

While many are aware of the nutritional benefits of these cereal grains, very few know that various indigenous millet variants are at risk of being lost, which makes their preservation all the more important. India has its own Doomsday Vault, but the comparison to the Norwegian Doomsday Vault ends right at the name. This small seed bank is located in a two-room house in a village in Madhya Pradesh and is owned by a 27-year-old tribal woman who has been preserving indigenous millet variants all on her own.

Hailing from the Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh, Lahari Bai is a member of the Baiga tribe. Recently, she was appointed as the Millet Brand Ambassador in India and is fondly known as 'The Millet Queen.' Her title has an intriguing backstory. She comes from a tribe deeply connected to agriculture for generations, and she inherited her millet-growing skills from her grandmother. Lahari Bai is no ordinary millet cultivator. The Baiga tribe does not believe in ploughing the land as they consider it an offence to Mother Earth. Instead, they practice 'bewar', a type of shifting cultivation various crops, including legumes and pulses, are cultivated side by side on the same plot of land. The piece of land is used for a few years until the fertility drops, at which point this land is left fallow and the farming is shifted to another plot.

Lahari Bai has been building a seed bank where she stores different millet variants and has collected more than 150 types, including 16 uncommon millets, over the past decade. She collects these seeds from nearby villages and farmers, grows them in her plot, and then returns the seeds to the farmers. Her method of drying millets is quite unique. She hangs them in bunches from the ceiling in her room. She freely shares her seeds with farmers in need and has aided over 350 farmers across more than 20 villages. Lahari Bai believes in giving back to Mother Earth and sees what she does as an ideal way to do so.

Lahari Bai being honoured by President Murmu with 'Plant Genome Patron Kisan Samman', Source: Drishti IAS

For her tremendous efforts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has applauded her extraordinary initiative. She was also praised by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan at the 2023 G20 Summit. She was also honoured with 'Plant Genome Patron Kisan Samman' by President Draupadi Murmu. Several foreign delegates appreciated her for contributing to the preservation of food security in the nation. Lahari Bai is an inspiration to several women and they have embraced her approach. They are also adopting millet cultivation and various other crops such as oilseeds, legumes, and pulses.

Lahari Bai is also the secretary of a cooperative in her village, the primary motive of which is to collect, cultivate, and exchange millets in the community for better growth and awareness. It is because of women like Lahari Bai that Indian agricultural produce is much talked about in the international markets. It is fascinating to see how the actions of these people are much louder than the empty promises we are used to and are making the country proud.