Revitalising millets for rural transformation in Nepal - Policy Brief

Nepalese agriculture is facing a number of challenges, including a shrinking cropped area, principally due to land use changes, low competitiveness, and increasing impacts of climate change, leading to a volatile food security situation. Likewise, changing dietary patterns – characterised by less diverse foods and more consumption of energy-dense ultraprocessed and packaged foods – has been the leading cause of malnutrition, especially among children and adolescents. Promoting a millet-based food system has the potential to improve food security and nutrition in the country. However, there has been a declining trend in the production and consumption of millets owing to a number of reasons.