ICRISAT-Bred Chakti Millet: A Climate-Smart Solution Boosting Food and Nutrition Security in Niger
In Niger, where millet is a staple crop, climate change poses severe threats to food security. The ICRISAT-Bred Chakti Millet (Pearl Millet), developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Niger (INRAN), is proving to be a game-changer. This early-maturing, nutrient-rich variety matures in just 60 days, which is half the time of traditional millet, helping farmers combat erratic rainfall and drought.
In a recent interview with Mongabay for its Planet Podcast #5 Feeding Without Destroying: Food and Climate Challenges, Senior Research Technician at ICRISAT, Mr Adamou Hamadou, highlighted Chakti’s high iron and zinc content, crucial for improving nutrition among vulnerable groups.
Despite challenges in adoption, such as grain color and pest susceptibility, ICRISAT’s farmer-centric approach, through demonstrations, seed distribution, and awareness campaigns, has driven remarkable progress. In 2024 alone, 515 tonnes of certified seeds reached Nigerien farmers, making Chakti the second most cultivated millet variety in the country.
Chakti Millet’s Origins and Advantages
Mongabay: Can you tell us about Chakti millet and its origins?
Adamou Hamadou: Chakti millet is an African-originated millet variety developed in Niger at ICRISAT through recurrent selection, that is, a succession of several generations of identical seeds. This variety was commercialized in 2018 after being evaluated and confirmed stable at several sites.
Mongabay: What is special about this millet?
Adamou Hamadou: The great strength of Chakti millet is its exceptional precocity. While traditional millet varieties require between 100 and 120 days to mature, Chakti millet is ready to harvest in just 60 days. This characteristic is crucial in a context where rainfall is becoming increasingly erratic, and periods of drought are frequent. Moreover, under optimal conditions, some farmers even manage to carry out two crop cycles per year with this variety.
Mongabay: Beyond its adaptation to the effects of climate change, what are its nutritional benefits?
Adamou Hamadou: Chakti millet is a biofortified variety. It contains 60 mg/kg of iron and 45 mg/kg of zinc, which are higher levels than conventional millet varieties grown by farmers. The HKP variety – the early haini kirey, the main variety produced in Niger, representing 80% of millet production in 2024, for example, contains only 45 mg/kg of iron and 35 mg/kg of zinc.
The nutritional qualities of Chakti millet make it a particularly beneficial food for vulnerable groups such as children under 5 years old, adolescents, and pregnant women. Several examples from different regions of Niger show that the consumption of Chakti millet by women and children in rural households has improved their health.
A Lifeline for Niger’s Food Security in a Changing Climate
Mongabay: And what are the benefits of food security in Niger?
Adamou Hamadou: This variety has a major advantage: its precocity. Due to climate change, the varieties currently most used by our producers have relatively long development cycles and often do not reach maturity before the end of the rainy season.
The Chakti variety provides a relevant response to this problem. Regardless of when it is sown, it has a high chance of reaching maturity before the rains stop. Thus, even with late sowing, it ensures minimal production, thus contributing to food security.
Today, many producers, disoriented by the effects of climate change, no longer know exactly when to sow. As a result, some varieties fail to reach maturity due to insufficient rainfall. Chakti, with its ability to mature quickly, can help address this deficit and meet household food needs. It therefore represents a concrete solution in the fight against food insecurity.
Balancing Chakti Millet's Benefits with Farmer Preferences
Mongabay: Was this variety easy for farmers to adopt?
Adamou Hamadou: In fact, several factors still hinder its widespread adoption. First, its ears are relatively short (between 35 and 40 cm), which does not correspond to local habits of storing in bundles. Second, the color of its grains, darker than that of traditional varieties, can discourage some farmers accustomed to lighter shades. Finally, even its precocity can become a disadvantage, as it particularly attracts birds and insects, which in the Chakti millet crop find an early food source in the season.
Mongabay: What strategy are you adopting to encourage this gradual adoption?
Adamou Hamadou: Our approach is based on demonstrations in farmers' fields and raising awareness rather than imposition. We distribute small quantities of seeds to allow farmers to test this variety in their fields. We also participate in seed fairs and conduct programs like FESTIMIL (International Millet Festival organized in Niger), involving the government, to raise awareness. And it is precisely by observing the health benefits of its consumption that farmers' interest in this variety is gradually increasing.
Chakti Millet's Rapid Rise in Niger's Farmlands
Mongabay: Can you give us an update on the current distribution of Chakti millet?
Adamou Hamadou: The latest data from the 2024 national catalog shows remarkable progress. To understand these figures, you need to know that we classify seeds into different generations: from G0 (basic material created by researchers) to R2 (seeds available to farmers).
The process is highly structured. We, researchers at ICRISAT and INRAN, produce the first generations (G0 to G3). From G3, the third generation, we entrust these seeds to approved seed companies or cooperatives that produce G4, then R1 and R2 (first and second reproduction). Each stage must be declared to the Ministry of Agriculture, with precise information on the areas, quantities, and genetic origin of the seeds.
This year, we recorded 18 hectares dedicated to the production of G4 Chakti millet seeds (by approved cooperatives and companies), 208 hectares for R1 and 560 hectares for R2.
Mongabay: What does this represent in terms of quantities produced?
Adamou Hamadou: The production is very encouraging: 10 tonnes of G4 seeds (the fourth generation of seeds produced by approved companies and cooperatives), 191 tonnes of R1 (the first reproduction from G4), and 515 tonnes of R2 (the second reproduction) have been produced and are available for marketing throughout Niger.
Mongabay: That makes a total of 716 tons of Chakti millet produced in 2024. What do these figures tell us about the future of Chakti millet cultivation in Niger?
Adamou Hamadou: This is exceptional progress for a variety approved only in 2018. Today, Chakti millet has become the second most widely distributed millet variety after HKP (Haini Kirey Précoce). This rapid growth demonstrates real acceptance by producers.
Chakti millet is adapted to the low rainfall conditions widespread in Niger. It has established itself as a concrete solution for food and nutritional security, and these official data from the national catalog attest to its growing success.
Mongabay: What do you think the next steps are for innovations like Chakti millet to sustainably change agriculture in Niger?
Adamou Hamadou: Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it's a reality, and our farmers are already facing it. Solutions like Chakti millet represent part of the answer to these challenges, but their success will depend on farmers' ability to adapt to new climate-smart technologies. Our country's food and nutrition security depends on new agricultural technologies that can combat climate change. ICRISAT and its partners are working hard to create other, more effective technologies to strengthen farmers' resilience to climate change and global warming.
This article is based on an original interview published by Mongabay as part of their Planet Podcast series in French. For the full conversation, listen to Episode #5: "Feeding Without Destroying: Food and Climate Challenges."
Roseleen Aind
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