This document discusses the landscape of nutrition interventions and where biofortification fits within it. It provides a table grading the effectiveness of different interventions, including vitamin and mineral supplementation programs as well as fortification efforts. While these interventions have had some success, major gaps still remain in improving diets and delivering interventions to vulnerable groups and at scale. Biofortified crops are presented as a way to deliver impact at a large scale and transform agriculture beyond just nutrition.

1. In a complicated landscape:
Where does biofortification fit?

2. Intervention Grade
Vitamin A supplementation 12-59 months A
Vitamin A supplementation 6-11 months B
Vitamin A supplementation of women F
Iron/folic acid supplementation of women D-
Iron supplementation of pre-school F
Iron supplementation of school-age C
Zinc supplementation (therapeutic) C-
Zinc supplementation (preventative) F

3. Intervention Grade
Iodine fortification of salt B+
Iron, folic acid, zinc fortification of staples B-
Vitamin A fortification of staples C+
Timely initiation and exclusive breastfeeding D
Complementary feeding D-
Dietary diversification D-
Emerging technologies ?

4. Complicated landscape ….
but:
•There remain huge gaps
•Very little improvement in
diets:
•Of general population
•Of most vulnerable
•Failure to deliver to women
(and therefore to -9 – 0
months)
•Failure to deliver at scale (with
some notable exceptions)

5. Putting biofortified crops on
the landscape:
•Deliver impact at scale (Howdy’s
#1 and #2)
•Financial and human resources
•“Know your epidemic, know your
response”
•Who needs what interventions where
•Who is being reached with what where
•Agriculture-based interventions
have the potential to be
transformational far beyond
nutrition