RESMISA Project

Revalorizationof Small Millets project is an activity being implemented in Tanamalwila in the Moneragala district together with Dhan Foundation in Madurai, India, LIBIRD in Nepal and six Canadian Universities to increase food security among the poor communities. Project is funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.The concept of the project is to address the serious issue of limited food security among the dry zone farmers whose main agricultural activity at present is cultivating cash crops. Subject to the fluctuations of market prices the cash crop farmers are often face losses. This reduces their purchasing power, creating vulnerability with regard to the food requirements of the family. It is the shift they made from a more balanced system of cultivation where they grew paddy and millets to cash crops which made the difference. Focus on cash crops reduced the concentration on paddy while abandoning small millets inmost cases.The project aims not only to increase production through research and technical interventions but also to promote processing technologies to popularize its consumption.