Biofortification using Underutilized Crops by Binu Cherian, HarvestPlus - Regional Expert Consultation on Underutilized Crops for Food and Nutritional Security in Asia and the Pacific November 13-15, 2017, Bangkok

1. HarvestPlus
c/o ICRISAT, Patancheru, Telangana, 502324, India
Tel: +914030713769 • Fax: +914030713074
HarvestPlusIndia@cgiar.org • www.HarvestPlus.org
Biofortification in underutilized food staples for nutrition in
Asia and Africa
Binu Cherian,
Country Manager, HarvestPlus India
Wolfgang Pfeiffer, Meike Anderson, M. Govindaraj, Parminder Virk, Binu Cherian,Paul Illona, Sylvia Magezi,
Underutilized Crops for Food and Nutritional Security in Asia and the Pacific
Nov 13-15, 2017

2. Global Prevalence of Micronutrient
Deficiency
This map details worldwide severity of the most common micronutrient deficiencies—vitamin A,
anemia, and zinc—using World Health Organization (WHO) children under 5 prevalence data.
2 Billion
One in three
globally
US $ 12 Billion
GDP
Deficiencies in micronutrients such as iron, zinc
and vitamins can cause profound and irreparable
damage to the body—
blindness, growth stunting, mental retardation,
learning disabilities, low work capacity, and even
premature death.

3. Existing Strategies for Tackling Hidden
Hunger
SupplementationSupplementation FortificatioFortificationn
BiofortificationBiofortification
DietaryDietary diversitydiversity

4. 4
A process of developing nutrient dense (bioavailable) staple
food crops through conventional breeding that are higher in
yield and with farmer’s preferred traits, that can make
measureable health impact.
Focus: Vitamin –A , Iron and Zinc
BIOFORTIFICATION
ADVANTAGES:
•Rural approach
•Cost effective strategy
•Sustainable

5. 5

6. Global Movement
6
2016 The World Food Prize:
Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga, Jan
Low,
Dr. Howarth “Howdy” Bouis,
Founding Director

7. 7

8. Process of Biofortification
8

9. Human Nutrition Efficacy Trials –
Evidence status
– High iron crops (5) +
• Meta-analysis completed for beans and pearl
millet
– High pro-vitamin A crops (6) 
• Multiple efficacy trials completed for sweet
potato, maize, and cassava
– High zinc crops (2)
• Bioavailability positive; 2 efficacy trials - data
collection completed
– Multiple crops (iron, zinc, pVA carotenoids) (1)
• Trial with children <2 y ongoing 2016 (Mumbai)

10. HarvestPlus Operations- Worldwide
10
Wheat – Zinc
Pearl millet – Iron/Zinc
Rice – Zinc
Iron beans – Zinc
OFP- Vit A
Beans – Iron
Cassava- Vit-A
Maize- Vit A
4 million farmers and 20 million people
consuming biofortified crops worldwide

11. Partnerships- Sutainable Markets
11

12. Strategy: Product development –
Iron pearl millet
Partnerships
Strategies
• Genetic variability assessment
• Cost-effective, rapid and precision screening.
• Strategic research for breeding efficiency
and research partnership development
• Cultivar testing and release
Base line : 47 mg kgBase line : 47 mg kg-1-1
FeFe
Target 77 mg kgTarget 77 mg kg-1-1
Fe (+30) (Zn as associated traitFe (+30) (Zn as associated trait)
Research Objectives

13. Biofortification Partnership Platform
State Agricultural Universities(SAUs)
State Seed Corporations (SSCs)
Private Seed Companies ICRISAT

14. 14
Strategy: Marketing engagements

15. People reached
15
20162016
75,000
361,000

16. Vitamin A cassava delivery
strategies- Nigeria

17. • Public & private sector partnerships – to scale up
• Capacity building – address quality, yield, linkage gaps
• Monitoring – to measure progress and for decision making
Implementation: value chain approach
Production Processing
Marketing &
distribution Consumption

18. Progress to date: Marketing

19. Progress to date: # Nigerians
reached

20. Scaling Up Strategy- OSP-
Uganda
HarvestPlus partners with
NGO to disseminate crops
to farmers and several
research partners
Operational framework

21. Awareness and
demand creation
Capacity building of
farmers in production &
consumption
Provide planting material to farmers
Role of Community-Based Organizations

22. Progress to Date
2.9 million people consuming biofortified
crops

23. Next steps
23Reaching 1 Billion by 2030

24. TDRC, ZAMBIA
Global Research Collaborators

25. 25
More about HarvestPlus
We are part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health
(A4NH) which helps realize the potential of agricultural development to deliver
gender-equitable health and nutritional benefits to the poor. CGIAR is a global
agriculture research partnership for a food-secure future. The HarvestPlus program
is coordinated by two of these centers, the International Center for Tropical
Agriculture CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
www.HarvestPlus.Org
Thank You !