Improved Agriculture-Nutrition Linkages through
Production and Promotion of Nutrient-dense
Foods
Helena Pachón
CIAT Nutritionist
AgroSalud Project Coordinator
Food Security and Nutrition Network
Spring Technical Meeting
9 May 2011
Baltimore, USA
Outline


Biofortification overview
Experiences in LAC
Photo: Neil Palmer
What is Biofortification?
Biofortification is the development of nutrient-dense
staple crops using the best conventional breeding
practices and modern biotechnology, without
sacrificing agronomic performance and important
consumer-preferred traits
clayuca.org
Iron, zinc, calcium, provitamin A carotenoids,
folate, amino acids,
prebiotics, etc.
Modified from Nestel et al., 2006
Conventional Plant Breeding to Develop
Biofortified Crops
Drought-tolerant
Bean
High-iron Bean
X
Drought-tolerant,
high-iron beans
Developing Biofortified Crops Takes Years
Progressive increments of iron in beans
Iron (ppm)
100
80
65
50
2005
2007
Breeding cycles
Courtesy: Steve Beebe, CIAT
2009
2011
Percent
Percent
Percent
2009
2008
2007
Nutrient Concentration in Staple Crops can
be Increased through Plant Breeding
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Baseline
N
4667
Mean
3.20
Std Deviation 1.26
Normal
Fedearroz 50
IR - 64
N
4851
Mean
3.92
Std Deviation 1.20
Normal
N
1819
Mean
5.69
Std Deviation 1.21
Normal
0.45
1.05
Courtesy: César Martínez, CIAT
1.65
2.25
2.85
3.45
4.05
4.65
Fe (mg/kg)
5.25
5.85
6.45
7.05
7.65
Agronomic Traits in Staple Crops can be
Improved through Plant Breeding
Yields for White QPM Hybrids Evaluated in 62 Localities in Latin
America, Asia and Africa, 2002-2003
Yield of
tryptophan- and
lysinebiofortified
maize (QPM)
Mostly higher
yields for QPM
(yellow bar)
compared with
conventional
maize (red bar)
Courtesy: Hugo Córdova and CIMMYT colleagues
Will Farmers Adopt Biofortified Crops?
Historically, farmers have adopted agronomically
improved crops

49% and 15% of the areas in LAC and
Africa, respectively, where beans are
grown have CIAT varieties (Johnson et al.,
2003)

36% of LAC areas where maize is
grown have CIMMYT germplasm
(Morris & López, 2000)

Photo: Marlene Rosero
71% of the rice area planted in Asia
has IRRI rice (Hossain et al., 2003)
Biofortification is a Food-based Approach
Six crops account for 57% of energy and 49% of protein
“consumed” by populations living in least developed countries
(FAO food balance sheets)
Proportion of Energy and Protein "Consumed" from
Crops in Least Developed Nations: FAO Food
Balance Sheets
30
20
10
% Energy
Beans
Cassava
% Protein
Maize
Rice
(http://faostat.fao.org/site/368/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=368#ancor)
Sweetpotato
Wheat
How Biofortified Crops Improve Food
and Nutrition Security
Compared with conventional (non-biofortified crops),
biofortified crops have

Better agronomic
characteristics
• Greater: yields, resistance to
pests, tolerance to stresses
Increase foods
available in homes
Improve food
security
How Biofortified Crops Improve Food
and Nutrition Security
Compared with conventional (non-biofortified crops),
biofortified crops have

Better agronomic
characteristics
• Greater: yields, resistance to
pests, tolerance to stresses

Increase foods
available in homes
Improve food
security
Increase the intake
of these nutrients
Improve
nutrition security
Higher nutritional
concentration
• More: iron, zinc, betacarotene and/or tryptophan
and lysine
Biofortification Supported by Leading
Economists
(www.copenhagenconsensus.com)
For the most
important
challenges
facing the
world, what are
the most
promising
solutions?
Biofortification is Complementary to Other
Interventions
Supplementation
Improved Crop
Productivity
Improve Food
and Nutrition
Security
Dietary
Crop
Diversity
Biofortification
Nutrition
Education
Fortified
Foods
Who Promotes Biofortification?
Brazil
India
Biofortification
Program
#9
Demonstrated Impact of Biofortified Crops
Iron-biofortified rice (Haas et al., 2005)
Increased by 20% storage iron in non-anemic
women of reproductive age (Philippines)
β-carotene-biofortified sweet potato (Low et al., 2007; van
Jaarsveld et al., 2005)
Reduced by 37% pre-schoolers with vitamin A
deficiency (Mozambique) and improved by 10%
storage vitamin A in school-age children (South
Africa)
Lysine- and tryptophan-biofortified maize (QPM)
(Gunaratna et al., 2010)
Photo: Luis Carlos Torres
Improved children’s growth by 9-12% (8 studies in
Latin America and Africa)
Zinc-biofortified wheat (Rosado et al., 2009)
Improved zinc absorption by 33% in women of
reproductive age (Mexico)
Summary: Biofortified Crops





Improved agronomic
characteristics
Higher nutrient
concentration
Improve nutritional
status
A food-based strategy
Complements other
interventions
Outline


Biofortification overview
Experiences in LAC
Photo: Neil Palmer
The Nutritional Need in LAC


52 M undernourished (FAO)
In some areas, anemia,
stunting, & vitamin A
deficiency constitute severe
public health problems (WHO,
MACRO)


Photo: Neil Palmer
Lost school days, poor growth
and development, and poor
productivity
Regional economic cost is
~US$21 billion annually (CIAT)
Biofortified Crops to Address Nutrition
Problems in LAC
Anemia
rice
s potato
beans
+ Iron
+ Iron
+ Iron
(Images: www.gardenguides.com, www.hormel.com, www.cdc.gov, www.waynescomputerworld.com, www.theproducehunter.com;www.sacramentorivervalleydistrict.org)
Biofortified Crops to Address Nutrition
Problems in LAC
Stunting
rice
s potato
beans
maize
+ Zinc
+Zinc
+ Zinc
+ Amino
acids
Zinc
(Images: www.gardenguides.com, www.hormel.com, www.cdc.gov, www.waynescomputerworld.com, www.theproducehunter.com;www.sacramentorivervalleydistrict.org)
Biofortified Crops to Address Nutrition
Problems in LAC
Vitamin A Deficiency
s potato
maize
+ Pro-Vit A
+Pro-Vit A
cassava
+
Pro-Vit
A
(Images: www.gardenguides.com, www.hormel.com, www.cdc.gov, www.waynescomputerworld.com, www.theproducehunter.com;www.sacramentorivervalleydistrict.org)
Released 42 Cultivars, 10 in the Pipeline
Country
Rice
S potato
Beans
Maize
Bolivia
2009 (2)
2011 (1)
-
2009 (1)
2008 (1)
Brazil
2011 (1)
2009 (1)
2008 (2)
-
Colombia
2011 (1)
-
2011 (1)
2010 (2)
-
-
2011 (1)
-
2009 (1)
2010 (1)
2009 (1)
2009 (1)
-
El Salvador
-
-
2011 (1)
2008 (3)
Guatemala
-
-
2010 (1)
2009 (1)
Haiti
-
2009 (2)
-
2008 (1)
Honduras
-
-
2011 (1)
2008 (1)
2010 (2)
Mexico
-
-
-
2007 (2)
2009 (2)
Nicaragua
2011 (1)
-
2011 (1)
2007 (2)
Panama
2010 (4)
-
-
2008 (2)
2009 (2)
-
2010 (2)
-
-
2011 (1)
2009 (2)
-
-
13
8
10
21
Costa Rica
Cuba
Courtesy: Róger Urbina
Crop
Peru
Dominican Republic
Total
Seed Produced (2010)
Country
Bolivia
Cultivar
Rice
Amount (kg)
228,000
Bolivia
Cuba
Maize
Rice
200
10,680
Cuba
Beans
1,702
El Salvador
Maize
431,920
Guatemala
Beans
909
Haiti
Maize
6,935
Panama
Rice
7,071
Peru
Maize
1,000
Take-Home Message
Through AgroSalud, 42
nutritionally-improved crops
were bred and released in 13
countries
Seed is available for
your projects and
programs in LAC
Photos: Neil Palmer
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5oyFBqobpM
¡Gracias!
¡Buen provecho!
Helena Pachón
CIAT
Colombia
+572 445 0000 (Tel)
h.pachon@cgiar.org
www.AgroSalud.org
The New Agriculturalist:
http://www.newag.info/picture/feature.php?a=1582
Feeding Ambitions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5oy
FBqobpM