An Innovative Method For Boosting Nutrition

Almost every country in the world now faces a stern nutrition-related challenge, whether arising from under-nutrition or obesity. India is also striving hard to fight the problem of hidden hunger.

Status of Nutrition in India

• Iron deficiency and anaemia are well-recognized and persistent problems in India.
• Poor dietary habits during adolescence,(which is a period of rapid growth) leads to undernutrition.
• A 2016 survey of around 8,000 adolescents, conducted by the Population Council in two Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, found that 55% of younger girls (10-14 years), 65% of older girls (15-19 years), 34% of younger boys, and 29% of older boys were anemic.
• Iron deficiency is thought to be the most common cause of anaemia globally, accounting for between 25-50% of anaemia cases.
• Global Nutrition Report 2017 (by World Health Organisation) also shows that India is facing a serious burden of undernutrition, that more than half the women of reproductive age in the country suffer from anaemia.
  Latest figures show that 38% of children under five are affected by stunting – (children too short for their age due to lack of nutrients), suffering irreversible damage to brain capacity. About 21% of children under 5 are defined as ‘wasted’ or ‘severely wasted’. And 16% of adult men and 22% of adult women are overweight.

Change in nutrition practices

• While the calorific value of the food distribution to reduce poverty and manage hunger is being taken care of by various measures, a shift can be seen in the focus on nutrition intake. It has shifted from quantity to quality. Biofortification can be one of the measures to address the problem of ‘hidden hunger’.

What is Biofortification?

• Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology.
• Biofortification can be done using non-genetically-modified methods as well. Biofortification using traditional method involves crossing varieties over successive generations to eventually yield a plant with high nutrient content along with other favorable traits.
• Examples of biofortification projects include:
  • Iron-biofortification of rice, beans, sweet potato, cassava, and legumes.
  • Zinc-biofortification of wheat, rice, beans, sweet potato, and maize.
  • Provitamin A carotenoid-biofortification of sweet potato, maize and cassava.
  • Amino acid and protein-biofortification of sorghum and cassava.

Importance of Biofortification

• Biofortified crops are rich in iron and have the potential to improve iron status and cognition. That helps in improving the overall health of human.
• Biofortified crops are also often more resilient to pests, diseases, higher temperatures, drought and provide a high yield.
• Biofortification fills an important gap as it provides a food-based, sustainable and low-dose alternative to iron supplementation. It does not require behavior change, can reach the poorest sections of the society, and supports local farmers.
• After the initial investment to develop the biofortified seed, it can be replicated and distributed without any reduction in the micronutrient concentration. This makes it highly cost-effective and sustainable.
• Considering the various implementation barriers faced by genetically modified crops in India, biofortification which can be done through non-genetically-modified methods as well can be a better alternative.

Challenges for Biofortification in India

• Lack of consumer acceptance due to color changes (e.g. golden rice) and last mile reach of fortified food remains a big challenge.
• Adoption of farmers and cost involved in the process of fortification also poses a challenge for biofortification in India.
• Though biofortification can be done using non-genetically-modified methods it is a slower process than genetic modification.
• The existence of an effective seed and rural extension system for multiplication and dissemination of new varieties will also pose a challenge.

Way Forward

• Because of the prevalence of diverse food practices in the country, biofortification will need to achieve high rates of adoption and consumption in geographically distinct areas.
• Strategies for delivery of biofortified crops must be tailored to the local context for each crop–nutrient pair.
• Biofortification needs to identify more cost-effective delivery strategies in order to offer an alternative to supplementation and commercial fortification.
• Increasing Maternal Health Literacy, ending societal discrimination faced by women and adolescent girls, making healthcare and proper sanitation accessible will also help in eradicating malnutrition.
• The government should facilitate public-private partnerships. Private sector engagement can leverage technological solutions for scaling up food fortification initiatives, and complement the government’s outreach efforts through mass awareness and education campaigns in communities.
• The lack of nutrition is not only a denial of a fundamental human right, but it is also poor economics. Biofortification is a partial solution, which must go hand in hand with efforts to reduce poverty, food insecurity, disease, poor sanitation, social and gender inequality.