An Indian cereals quartet from 1969
A cereals quartet mapped in great detail from 1969 – ragi in the old Mysore state (top left), barley in eastern Uttar Pradesh (top right), bajra in Maharashtra (bottom left), and jowar in Madhya Pradesh (bottom right).
I have taken the details from the lovely set of maps in the Indian Agricultural Atlas (the third edition) of 1969, which was printed at the time by the Survey of India (which provided the base maps). It cost, in those days, 90 rupees which was a small fortune, but little wonder, for the mapwork is superior.
Shaktichakra, the wheel of energies 
Ragi is millet and jowar sorghum? Have I got that right? But what is bajra? And how do you think the maps for those crops would look today?
Jeremy Cherfas
August 6, 2013 at 19:19
That’s right. Sorghum is ‘jowar’, finger millet is ‘ragi’ and pearl millet is ‘bajra’. They’re amongst what are called ‘coarse cereals’ (will have to get to the bottom of that label one day). I’d like to see a jowar-bajra-ragi map of today too, which means making one!
makanaka
August 7, 2013 at 20:01
[…] 1969 maps of cereals in India. I’d love to see them updated. A project for … […]
Nibbles: Feed lots, Tom Wagner, Ag Game, Cereal maps, Climate change, All change, Bananas extinct?, Permaculture course, Criminal urban ag, IPRs and GMOs
August 6, 2013 at 20:41