Model Question and Answers for APSC | How has the emphasis on certain crops brought about changes in cropping patterns in the recent past? Elaborate the emphasis on millets production and consumption.

Ans : A cropping pattern is the proportion of area under various crops at a point in time. The cropping patterns of a region are mainly influenced by geoclimatic, socio-economic, water and energy availability, historical and political factors.
Recent Changes:
Focus on pulses and Nutri cereals due to changes in consumer preferences, water scarcity, environmental degradations caused by the negative effects of the green revolution
Promotion of horticultural crops as part of nutritional security and to increase farmers income
Climate change effect:
Higher temperature and drought
Soil deterioration
Need to reduce agricultural emission which is possible by low fertilisers, no-tillage, less irrigation, less power dependence all of which can be managed by Millets, as they can grow in rainfed conditions, with no fertilizers.
Millets can thrive even in such an environment thus truly made for the future.

Millets or Nutri cereals:
Group of crops comprising sorghum (Jowar), pearl millet (Bajra), finger millet (Ragi/Mandua) and small millets viz; little millet (Kutki), Kodo millet (Kodo), barnyard millet (Sawa/Jhangora), foxtail millet (Kangni/Kakun), proso millet (Cheena) all together comes under Millets which is now called as ‘NutriCereals’ due to their high nutritive value.
Why Emphasis on Millets Production and Consumption: Various Benefits
Food security: Millets are drought and sun hardy crops able to grow in arid regions and poor soils. In the Climate change scenario, they will be crucial for Food and Water security strategy.
Safety from disease: In the increased prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) like diabetes millets has huge relevance as they reduce glucose levels. Millets are gluten-free good for allergic people

Nutrition security: They are highly nutritious thus tackle widely prevalent nutrition deficiency, particularly micronutrient deficiency.
Income security: It will provide Food and income security for rainfed areas, resource-poor agroclimatic regions, hilly & tribal areas of the country in rainfed conditions.