Millet and Sorghum Varieties for Better Nutrition and Stress Resistance

Strong Crops, Healthy People

The "Millet and Sorghum Varieties for Better Nutrition and Stress Resistance" technology is a range of improved millet and sorghum varieties that are a game-changer for agriculture in Africa. These varieties are highly nutritious, resilient in the face of drought, heat, and pests, and specifically bio-fortified with elevated iron and zinc levels. With an accelerated maturation process, these crops are a reliable risk management strategy for farmers facing challenging climate conditions.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

7•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 7/9; level of use 7/9

Project adoption4

Technology integrated in the ENSURE- East Africa, ESFSP- Guinea-Bissau, SEPAREF- Burundi, Comoros, Somalia, South Sudan, and SSEFPP-1- South Sudan projects.

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.
ESFSP- Guinea-Bissau Emergency Support to Food Security Project	46,635 vulnerable farming households (at least 50% of which are headed by women).	6.5 million	2022–2024	1,253 tons of certified cereal seeds. 1,350 tons of fertilizer. 37,335 tons of agricultural products.
SEPAREF- Burundi, Comoros, Somalia, South Sudan Strengthening Emergency Preparedness and Response to Food Crisis	510,500 direct beneficiaries (50% women and 40% youth).	306.97 million	2022–2025	1,500 farmers. 60 climate-smart villages. 55,000 direct jobs (22,000 women & 33,000 young people).
SSEFPP-1- South Sudan SSEFPP-1 Emergency Food Production Plan	100,000 farming households (50% women & 20% young people).	8.1 million	2022–2023	498 tons of sorghum seed. 30 tons of fertilizer. 100,000 trained.

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Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive medium

Under 18: Positive low

Women: Positive low

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: Same amount of carbon released

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: Much less water used

Problem

Low Crop Yields and Food Insecurity: Millet and sorghum yields in Africa are below their potential, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition in communities that depend on these crops.
Limited Climate Resilience: The crops are susceptible to drought, heat, and pests, making them vulnerable to changing climate conditions.
Lack of Nutrient-Dense Varieties: Traditional varieties of millet and sorghum may not provide sufficient nutritional value, particularly in terms of iron and zinc content.
Inadequate Access to Improved Varieties: New, high-yielding, climate-resilient, and nutrient-dense varieties are not widely available to farmers in many African regions.

Solution

Improved Varieties: The technology involves the development of new millet and sorghum varieties that are high-yielding, bio-fortified (rich in iron and zinc), and resilient to drought, heat, and pests.
Climate Resilience: These newly developed varieties are adapted to withstand drought and high temperatures, making them a suitable risk management strategy for farmers in challenging environments.
Nutrient Enhancement: The improved varieties have higher levels of iron and zinc, addressing nutritional deficiencies in communities dependent on these crops.
Wider Availability: Collaboration with various organizations has facilitated the distribution and availability of these improved varieties to farmers across different regions, including those with low rainfall and poor soil conditions.
Diverse Use and Market Potential: The new varieties offer better taste and cooking characteristics, expanding their potential uses from food and fodder to brewing and biofuels. This diversification can contribute to value addition and marketing opportunities.

Key points to design your program

Millet and Sorghum Varieties for Better Nutrition and Stress Resistance improve food security, nutrition, and climate resilience through biofortified, drought-, heat-, and pest-tolerant varieties with enhanced iron and zinc content. The technology can be integrated into food security, nutrition, climate resilience, seed systems, and cereal value chain development programs. Its adoption contributes to SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and 13 (Climate Action).

To integrate this technology into your project, plan and budget for the following activities and prerequisites:

Assess food security challenges, climate risks, soil conditions, and millet and sorghum production gaps in target areas.
Facilitate access to improved millet and sorghum seed varieties adapted to local agroecological conditions and farming systems.
Support training for farmers, cooperatives, extension agents, women’s groups, and youth agripreneurs on climate-smart agriculture, seed management, soil fertility, and integrated pest and weed management.
Invest in demonstration plots, seed multiplication systems, extension services, and digital advisory tools to promote awareness and adoption.
Promote the cultivation of biofortified and climate-resilient varieties to improve yields, nutrition, and resilience to drought, heat, pests, and poor soils.
Support the participation of women and youth in seed systems, grain production, and value addition activities.
Establish partnerships with ICRISAT, research institutes, seed companies, extension services, cooperatives, and private sector actors to support scaling and sustainability.
Track key indicators such as adoption rates, crop yields, crop losses, household nutrition outcomes, and number of farmers reached.

14 - 18 USD

Seed for one hectare of land for sorghum

8 - 12 USD

Seed for one hectare of land for pearl millet

35 - 45 USD/Ha

A ton of animal manure cost

120 - 150 USD/Ha

Inorganic fertilizer cost

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 7 out of 9

Semi-controlled environment: prototype

Level of use 7 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.
ESFSP- Guinea-Bissau Emergency Support to Food Security Project	46,635 vulnerable farming households (at least 50% of which are headed by women).	6.5 million	2022–2024	1,253 tons of certified cereal seeds. 1,350 tons of fertilizer. 37,335 tons of agricultural products.
SEPAREF- Burundi, Comoros, Somalia, South Sudan Strengthening Emergency Preparedness and Response to Food Crisis	510,500 direct beneficiaries (50% women and 40% youth).	306.97 million	2022–2025	1,500 farmers. 60 climate-smart villages. 55,000 direct jobs (22,000 women & 33,000 young people).
SSEFPP-1- South Sudan SSEFPP-1 Emergency Food Production Plan	100,000 farming households (50% women & 20% young people).	8.1 million	2022–2023	498 tons of sorghum seed. 30 tons of fertilizer. 100,000 trained.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Chad	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Niger	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Sudan	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid	–	–	–	–
Humid	–	–	–	–

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 13: climate action

The procedures involved in the "Varieties for Better Nutrition and Stress Resistance" technology can be broken down into the following steps:

1. Selection and Hybridization: High-yielding, nutritious, and resilient millet and sorghum varieties are developed through the careful selection of parent plants with desired traits, followed by conventional crossing and hybridization.

2. Field Testing: The developed varieties, both open-pollinated and hybrids, undergo extensive field testing to ensure their performance under real-world conditions.

3. Formal Seed Systems: The improved varieties are multiplied and made accessible to farmers through "Formal Seed Systems," which involve stringent inspection and certification standards to maintain seed quality and consistency.

4. Recommendations: Specific recommendations for land preparation, fertilizer application, and crop management practices are formulated, taking into account soil types and climate conditions. These recommendations are crucial for achieving high yields and efficient use of nutrients and water.

5. Planting Practices: Planting practices are outlined, including the seed rate and spacing for sorghum and pearl millet, tailored to different agricultural zones.

6. Fertilizer Application: Guidelines for fertilizer application are provided, such as applying DAP during planting and CAN when the crop reaches a certain height.

7. Weed Management: Farmers are advised on weed management, which involves either physical removal or the use of pre- and post-emergence herbicides to prevent weed encroachment.

8. Integrated Striga and Soil Fertility Management: Strategies for managing Striga, a parasitic weed, and maintaining soil fertility are emphasized to maximize grain yields and resource use efficiency.

9. Water Conservation: Water conservation techniques are recommended to ensure efficient use of water resources during cultivation.

Last updated on Jul 2, 2026