Micronutrient Initiative of India: Policy considerations
and Contribution of Animal Source Food
Purvi Mehta
Micronutrient Initiative: A silent solution to hidden hunger, NDRI, Kernal, India, 24 January 2014

World : At a cross roads of too little and too much
 Annual world food production can provide 2720
Kilo cal. per day/per person to all
 World agriculture produces 17% more calories than
it did 30 years ago.

World : At a cross roads of too little and too much
 Annual world food production can provide 2720
Kilo cal. per day/per person to all
 World agriculture produces 17% more calories than
it did 30 years ago.
 100-140 million children Vitamin A deficient
 30% world’s population anaemic
 Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) affect 740 million
people
Over fed and Under fed populations

Problem is beyond food production..
 Quality of food (Nutrients enhanced, biofortified,
safe)
 Distribution and access
 Adequate policies (focusing on, not just food but
nutrition security)
 Leveraging agriculture to address,
- Protein-energy malnutrition
- Micronutrient deficiencies

How can livestock
sector help?
ILRI Spearheading a
New Way Forward

Four out of the five highest value
global commodities are livestock
6
Source: FAOSTAT, 2010 data

Animal source foods and global diets
% calories from ASF/Day
25
20
15
10
5
0
SEA
China
SA
SSA
High Income
Countries
FAO 2012

FAO: 2009
8

Micronutrients
Provided by ASF
Vitamin A
Iron
Zinc
Calcium
Riboflavin
Vitamin B12
• Livelihood
to 1.3
Billion
• Important
asset for
women
• Risk
mitigation
Health
• Provide 58
million
tonnes of
protein
annually
• 17% of the
global
kilocalories
Poverty Alleviation
Nutrition
Livestock’s Many Virtues
•
•
•
•
•
Zoonosis
Malnutrition
Obesity
Soil health:
14% N, 9% P
and 40% K
inputs to
global crop
production

Consultative Group of International
Agriculture Research

ILRI
• A CGIAR centre dedicated to livestock research
• Two principle campuses- Nairobi and Addis Ababa
• Over 700 people, 46 nationalities
Production
Animal
Health
Biotechnology
Productiv
ity
Climate
change
Access
Environment
Markets
NRM
Rangeland
deve.
Gender
Policy

Agriculture
for Improved
Nutrition & Health
CGIAR Research Program 4
IFPRI
ILRI
BIOVERSITY
CIAT
CIMMYT
CIP
ICARDA
ICRAF
ICRISAT
IITA
IWMI
WORLD FISH

4 Themes
1. Leveraging value chains for nutrition
2. Biofortification of staple crops
3. Agricultural associated diseases
4. Evaluating nutrition outcomes in programs

Approach: Solution-driven R4D to achieve impact
Dairy Value Chain Development Through CRP
Consumers
Major intervention with development partners
Value chain development team + research partners
Strategic CRP 3.7 Cross-cutting Platforms
• Technology Generation
• Market Innovation
• Targeting & Impact
INTERVENTIONS TO
SCALE OUT REGIONALLY
GLOBAL RESEARCH
PUBLIC GOODS

Key Policy Needs
 Need for cross sectorial collaboration: Health, Agriculture,
Environment, Trade, Education
 Quantity and quality (food and nutrition security)
 Value chain approach
 Economic data (eg. Impact of price volatility on nutritional
status)
 Resource Allocation

Micronutrition security for India:
Need multiple partners, multiple approaches and a collective voice.

Thank You