Source: Nate Blum, CEO of Sorghum Official

In the year 2050, the global population has surged to 10 billion, with more than 2 billion people suffering from malnutrition. Climate change has intensified, causing frequent heatwaves and devastating floods in crucial agricultural regions like the U.S. Midwest and North China Plain, resulting in consistent crop failures, particularly for water-intensive crops like maize and wheat. Additionally, water resources in agricultural areas, including the High Plains Aquifer and North China Plain, have been dangerously depleted. This grim future has led to conflicts and mass migrations due to food and water crises.

However, there is hope that this catastrophic scenario can be averted if steps are taken to secure a more sustainable and food-secure future, and these steps may have already begun in 2023. Historically, policymakers, researchers, and supply chains have prioritized crops that require significant water and have led to soil degradation, leaving farmers susceptible to climate-related challenges and widespread malnutrition. Fortunately, alternatives exist in the form of ancient, resilient grains such as sorghum and millets, which can effectively meet global food and nutritional needs while promoting farmer well-being and preserving the environment.

Sorghum United, a global network focused on the sorghum and millet industries, aims to raise awareness about these supergrains. Developed over centuries by indigenous cultures in places like Africa, India, and China, these supergrains thrive in hot, arid regions with poor-quality soil.

Beyond their climate resilience, sorghum and millets offer essential nutrients lacking in rice and wheat, including iron, zinc, and calcium. Given the anticipated disruptions in crop production due to climate change, sorghum and millets are poised to play a pivotal role in ensuring food security and nutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations.

However, several obstacles hinder the widespread adoption of these ancient grains. Outdated policies and inadequate investments in sorghum and millet farming have constrained their production. Fragmented supply chains and limited consumer awareness have also impeded market growth. Addressing these challenges necessitates comprehensive efforts spanning research, policy reform, marketing, and enterprise development.

The Untapped Potential of Ancient Grains:

Throughout history, human societies have relied on resilient cereal crops like sorghum and millets to sustain themselves in arid and semi-arid regions. These grains, which originated in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of India, have nourished communities for generations, especially in environments unsuitable for other crops. They became dietary staples across various societies in Africa, China, India, and the Middle East.

However, from the mid-20th century onward, policies and research priorities shifted towards rice, wheat, and maize, which are resource-intensive and thirsty crops. Today, more than half of the world’s cereal calories come from these three commodities.

This overreliance on a few water-intensive crops has endangered our food system. Groundwater resources are rapidly depleting in key regions where rice and wheat are cultivated. The intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides for monoculture crops like maize, rice, and wheat has led to soil degradation and ecosystem harm. Moreover, these commodity crops are highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

In contrast, sorghum and millets require minimal water, fertilizers, and pesticides to thrive. They have evolved to withstand harsh conditions, including scorching heat, prolonged droughts, and waterlogging that would devastate conventional grains. These hardy cereals have been crucial for subsistence agriculture in marginal lands across Africa and Asia, providing food security to traditional farming communities without access to irrigation and chemical inputs.

Sorghum and millets also offer superior nutrition compared to mainstream cereals, boasting higher levels of iron, zinc, calcium, protein, and fiber. Their nutritional profile makes them ideal for combating malnutrition. Additionally, they serve multiple purposes beyond direct human consumption, providing nutritious animal feed and raw materials for various industries, from breweries to renewable fuels. Furthermore, their deep root systems improve soil health and water retention compared to shallow-rooted cereals. These multifaceted benefits highlight the tremendous potential of sorghum and millets to revolutionize food systems sustainably.

Barriers to Unlocking Ancient Grains’ Potential:

Given the immense potential of sorghum and millets, why have these crops remained relatively niche, primarily cultivated in arid regions? Several barriers have hindered their widespread adoption, including policy biases favoring water-intensive crops like rice, wheat, and maize, insufficient research aimed at improving the productivity and resilience of sorghum and millets, fragmented supply chains, limited market presence due to perceptions of these grains as “poor people’s crops,” and trade policies that hinder global diffusion.

These challenges have prevented sorghum and millets from reaching their full potential as underutilized crops. However, the urgency of the climate crisis necessitates harnessing the resilience and nutritional value of these grains. By implementing well-conceived initiatives encompassing research, policy reform, supply chain development, and marketing, organizations like Sorghum United can promote the widespread adoption of sorghum and millets, thus contributing to sustainable food security.

The Time to Act Is Now:

The next three decades will determine the trajectory of global food security and environmental sustainability. With a focus on people-centered solutions, Sorghum United aims to shift the balance toward a just and resilient future. However, this monumental task cannot be accomplished in isolation.

Realizing the vast potential of ancient grains to nourish billions sustainably requires collective action across various sectors. Scientists must conduct farmer-centric research to enhance the productivity and resilience of these hardy cereals while ensuring open access to their findings. Policymakers must reform biased policies that hinder the adoption of climate-resilient crops. Businesses should establish inclusive supply chains and innovate food products that enable ancient grains to compete with rice and wheat. Civil society groups must advocate for fundamental changes in the food system to empower marginalized smallholder farmers.

At Sorghum United, the aim is to unite these efforts under a common vision of nourishing the world with time-tested, climate-smart grains. The solutions are within reach, visible in fields where robust sorghum stalks sway in the wind and small millet plots glisten in the summer sun. To feed a growing global population while mitigating climate change, we must rediscover the future within ancient wisdom, and the time to sow these fields is now.