Timilsina Raja Rajendra, Joshi Hari Prashad, Rahut Dil Bahadur
Asian Development Bank Institute, Research, Tokyo, 100-6008, Japan.
Nepal College of Management, Kathmandu University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 25;15(1):3182. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-85090-9.
Global food production predominantly depends on a limited number of cereal crops; however, numerous other crops have the potential to support the nutrition and economy of many local communities in developing countries. The different crop species characterized as having relatively low perceived economic importance or agricultural significance are known as underutilized crops. Millet is one of the underutilized crops with significant potential to address nutrient and hunger-related challenges in many developing countries like Nepal due to its versatility and climate resilience. Little is known about the determinants of adoption, cultural importance, and nutritional benefits of millet. Therefore, this study uses data from 1988 to 2019 and examines trends in millet production and its climate resilience, employing the Dynamic Ordinary Least Square Method. Results indicate that fertilizer use, cultivated area, and rural population significantly impact millet production in Nepal, while mean temperature has a negative but insignificant effect. The findings suggest that climate change does not significantly impact millet production. Millet is well adapted to challenging environments and offers superior nutritional value, suggesting that integration of millet into modern agriculture could be a valuable tool for creating a more sustainable, equitable, resilient, and healthy agrifood system that benefits both people and the planet. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers to enhance underutilized crops such as millet and implement strategies to integrate them into central agrifood systems. It also has a more considerable socio-economic impact on local communities.
全球粮食生产主要依赖于少数几种谷类作物；然而，许多其他作物有潜力为发展中国家的许多当地社区提供营养并促进经济发展。那些被认为经济重要性或农业意义相对较低的不同作物品种被称为未充分利用作物。由于其多功能性和气候适应性，小米是一种未充分利用作物，在尼泊尔等许多发展中国家有很大潜力应对与营养和饥饿相关的挑战。关于小米的采用决定因素、文化重要性和营养益处，人们了解甚少。因此，本研究使用1988年至2019年的数据，采用动态普通最小二乘法研究小米产量趋势及其气候适应性。结果表明，肥料使用、种植面积和农村人口对尼泊尔的小米产量有显著影响，而平均气温有负面影响但不显著。研究结果表明，气候变化对小米产量没有显著影响。小米能很好地适应具有挑战性的环境并具有较高的营养价值，这表明将小米纳入现代农业可能是创建一个更可持续、公平、有韧性且健康的农业食品系统的宝贵工具，该系统对人类和地球都有益。这项研究为政策制定者加强对小米等未充分利用作物的利用并实施将它们纳入核心农业食品系统的战略提供了有价值的见解。它对当地社区也有更重大的社会经济影响。
