Millets: Reimagining the PDS for Food Sovereignty

● Online | 30 January 2024 | 5:30–7:00

A session focussed on understanding localised and decentralised approaches to the Public Distribution System in India that incorporate millets to better achieve food security and sovereignty.
Our virtual discussions ‘Beyond the Plate’ explore how food is more than just the act of eating.

This Beyond the Plate discussion featured members of the Deccan Development Society (DDS), a grassroots organisation working with Dalit and indigenous women farmers in rural Telangana.  The women farmer leaders spoke about the Community Grain Fund, an alternative Public Distribution System (PDS) that helped them achieve food security and food sovereignty. The Community Grain Fund in the Zaheerabad region of Telangana attempts to bring back crops like sorghum and pulses native to the dryland area, which were no longer grown due to the impact of the Green Revolution and the abundance of rice in the PDS. 

 

Through the Fund, the DDS has brought about 3,000 acres of land under cultivation that was otherwise considered infertile. This was made possible by the women farmers who prioritised soil security, mixed cropping, and food sovereignty. We also screened an excerpt from the film Onwards to Food Sovereignty—The Alternative Public Distribution System of DDS.

Meet Our Panellists

Santoshi Srilaya, Programme Coordinator at DDS

P. Suryakala, farmer leader, Metlakunta village

Tuljamma, farmer leader, Pastapur village

A study on Alternative Public Distribution System: A Novel Initiative of Deccan Development Society

“Children of the house come and ask the women what is there to eat. So women think about what food they can feed the family rather than the food that will just bring them money.”

The discussion began with a brief introduction of the work DDS undertakes, followed by a screening of excerpts from the film Onwards to Food Sovereignty—The Alternative Public Distribution System of DDS which explains the programme in detail. Thereafter,  a moderated discussion with the panel was translated from Telugu by Srilaya. 

 

Both Tuljamma and Suryakala emphasised how having women in leadership positions can create dramatically different outcomes in a programme such as theirs. They pointed out that women tend to favour growing food crops, as they prioritise nutritional needs of their households, whereas men often focus on cash crops as they are more keen on earning money. 

 

“Children of the house come and ask the women what is there to eat. So women think about what food they can feed the family rather than the food that will just bring them money,” stated Suryakala. The panel also noted that women’s roles in agriculture are driven by a commitment to long-term security, evident from the diversity of their crop cultivation. This ensures the practice of seed saving and reduces reliance on markets.

Discussion

• The conversation highlighted the key differences between the traditional Public Distribution System and the Community Grain Fund, particularly in terms of production and distribution. In the mainstream PDS, the source of grains is often unclear, whereas in the Community Grain Fund, farmers grow the grain themselves and hence can determine how to distribute it. This system emphasises local crop culture—giving importance to what is grown and consumed in the area, thus promoting agroecologically suitable crops such as millets, and, in this case, sorghum. 

• In terms of how the grains get distributed, the programme implemented a unique wealth ranking system. Villagers collaboratively assessed each household based on factors such as land holdings, family support, and livestock ownership. This nuanced approach allowed for a more equitable distribution of resources, fostering a sense of community.

• Panellists attributed the success of the programme to the inclusion of marginalised voices, particularly those of farmers with small, fallow land holdings who would otherwise have been overlooked. 

Learnings

• By amplifying voices that usually go unheard, the initiative fostered a more egalitarian political space, leading to greater community ownership. Over the course of the project, landlessness diminished as fallow lands were reclaimed. Moreover, many villagers were no longer forced to rely on daily-wage labour.

• In order to successfully implement such programmes in other areas, inclusionary participation and attention to local agrarian traditions is vital. Local communities understand local issues better, and can ensure a safe space where all voices are heard, encouraging better representation and hence better outcomes.

• While the original programme revolved around the preservation of existing ecosystems and agricultural practices, with the climate crisis looming large, the challenges we confront today lie not only in rehabilitating polluted or damaged farmlands, but in keeping current farmlands in good shape for the future.

This session was a collaboration between The Locavore and Rainmatter Foundation for the Millet Revival Project.

Beyond the Plate is an initiative by The Locavore where we engage in meaningful conversations, live events, and dining experiences that look at food beyond the sum of its parts. It is our attempt to narrow the divide between what’s on our plate, where it comes from, how it’s produced, and the deeper stories around it.