An Agronomic Review of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana): Adaptability, Nutritional Value and Importance for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

In nutritional security millets play an important role due to their high nutritional value, which emphasizes the importance of encouraging their production and use. For human societies millets have been a staple meal for centuries, particularly in Asia and Africa. Millets are reliable source of dietary energy, providing around 320–370 kcal/100 g of consumption. Finger millet grows easily in high altitude areas and is cultivated in the Himalayan regions up to an altitude of about 3,000 metres above sea level. Globally food insecurity remains a major challenge due to unfavourable and changing climatic conditions that limit crop productivity in many regions. Several staple crops are highly sensitive to abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, and poor soil fertility, which further threaten sustainable food production. In this context finger millet emerges as a climate resilient and nutritionally rich crop capable of thriving under marginal and stress prone environments. Ragi is a good source of bioactive compounds, dietary fiber and essential micronutrients with particularly good amount of calcium content compared to most other cereals. This review article examines the morphology, ecological adaptability, nutrition composition, health benefits, and food security potential of finger millet.