Conventional monocropping practices often characterized by limited inputs, declining soil health, and vulnerability to climate extremes pose significant challenges to sustainable food production and land management across dryland and rainfed agro-ecosystems. In this context, the integration of millets into agroforestry systems is gradually emerging as a viable strategy to enhance ecological stability, crop productivity, and rural livelihoods. Millets such as Eleusine coracana, Pennisetum glaucum, Setaria italica are hardy, nutrient-dense, and climateresilient cereals requiring minimal external inputs which makes them particularly suited for diversified agroforestry models. This review synthesizes global and regional evidence particularly from India on the performance, sustainability benefits, and agronomic viability of millet-based agroforestry systems. Studies indicate that combining millets with multipurpose tree species improves soil organic carbon, nitrogen availability, and moisture retention, while supporting higher land-use efficiency and biodiversity conservation. Millet-based intercropping with legumes, oilseeds, and fruit trees under agroforestry enhances nutrient cycling and economic returns by optimizing land equivalent ratios and benefit-cost ratios. Recent advances in millet improvement through molecular breeding, genomics, and genome editing are accelerating varietal development for intercropping suitability and stress resilience. Additionally, the review highlights the crucial role of traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous land-use practices in shaping successful millet-tree integrations. Despite promising outcomes, research gaps remain in optimizing tree-crop combinations, planting densities, and input regimes for different agro-ecological zones. Strategic policy interventions, participatory research, and institutional support are needed to mainstream these systems into national and regional agricultural development frameworks.