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BioFORTIFICATION

BioFORTIFICATION. of Beans with Iron to Combat Iron Deficiency in Rwanda. Introduction. What is biofortification ? Biofortification is the development of staple crops with increased micronutrient density through crop management, breeding and genetic approaches HarvestPlus

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BioFORTIFICATION

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  1. BioFORTIFICATION of Beans with Iron to Combat Iron Deficiency in Rwanda

  2. Introduction • What is biofortification? • Biofortification is the development of staple crops with increased micronutrient density through crop management, breeding and genetic approaches • HarvestPlus • In 2004, the HarvestPlus Challenge Program launched • Considered global leader in developing biofortified crops • Focuses on iron, zinc, vitamin A that are recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as most limiting in diets • Focus on their current bean project in Rwanda Source: HarvestPlus. www.harvestplus.org

  3. Biofortification is BEST eneficial B E S T ating the food already ustainable argets populations in need

  4. Beneficial • Prevalence of Iron Deficiency in Africa  need intervention Source: WHO paper

  5. Beneficial • Consequences of Inadequate Iron in the Diet • Leads to iron deficiency anemia • Impairs physical and mental development, learning capacity, and immunity (children) • Causes complications in pregnancy • Maternal mortality • premature and low birth weight infants • infants with low iron stores • Fatigue and decreased work performance (adults)

  6. Beneficial • Iron levels of the beans and impact • Target content: 94 µg/g iron; nearly doubling the baseline crop content of 50 µg/g iron • Avg consumption: 200 g/capita/day • Target: 30% of woman’s daily iron needs (highest) • Uses 5% bioavailability and adjusts for cooking retention • Expect 3 million Rwandans will be eating these beans within ten years Source: 7

  7. Eating the food already • Utilizing a food staple already in place  acceptance • Use existing diets and farming practices • No behavior changes are needed • No sensory or visual changes to the crop • No birth control pill worry • Typically beans are eaten 2x/day (no burden remember pill) • "In Rwanda, a meal without beans is like a meal without food” (HarvestPlus regional project leader) • Community involvement • Helping people help themselves; limited outside involvement

  8. Sustainable High-iron bean crop growing • Highly Cost-effective • Research & development = largest cost component • One time cost of seed distribution to farmers • Gift that keeps giving: Multiplicative effect • Replant year after year • Seeds have superior agronomic traits • Farmers can share seeds with one another • Working to solve underlying problem • “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day…” principle Source: HarvestPlus. www.harvestplus.org

  9. Targets populations in need • Effective means of reducing malnutrition in rural areas, where about 75% of the poor live • limited access to supplements, commercially marketed fortified foods, or other aid • Impact is on most at risk poor people (over 75% of population) who eat these staple foods in large quantities • Don’t have the luxury of variety

  10. Quick Review! What does BEST stand for? eneficial B E S T ating the food already ustainable argeted populations

  11. Hope for the future • Estimated that, in fifteen years, more than 250 million people in ten countries will be eating proven biofortified foods, saving three hundred thousand or more disability-adjusted life years (DALYs; a measure of overall disease burden) annually • Learn more at www.harvestplus.org

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