Expert consultation on Micronutrient deficiencies : can agriculture meet the challenge ?

Micronutrient deficiencies are a recognised public health problem in the Near East. Although this problem is often exacerbated through mineral-poor soils, so far agricultural interventions have attracted less attention as complementary approaches to current interventions like pharmaceutical supplementation or industrial fortification. Yet, especially biofortification – i.e. the use of plant breeding to accumulate essential micronutrients in staple crops – promises to offer a very cost-effective strategy to improve the micronutrient intake of poor population groups, particularly in remote rural areas. While achieving dietary diversity for all is a generally accepted objective, this is often only possible in the long run and the cost-effectiveness of this approach is still unclear. Therefore, where the diets of the poor are already monotonous and cereal-based, biofortified crops can replace these micronutrient-poor staples at a low cost, thus offering a potential remedy in the medium-term. Introduction Micronutrient deficiencies are a recognised public health problem in the region (chapter 1), where soils are also often poor in essential minerals (chapter 3). Currently certain micronutrient interventions – like pharmaceutical supplementation or industrial fortification – are being implemented in some countries (chapter 2), but they are limited in scope and require continuous funding. In this context, complementary agricultural approaches could be considered and need to be evaluated (chapters 3 and 4). First projections for countries in other regions of the world have shown that especially biofortification – i.e. the use of plant breeding to accumulate essential micronutrients in edible parts of staple crops – holds the promise of notable improvements in the micronutrient status at the population level at a very low cost (Stein et al. 2006, 2007; Stein, Sachdev & Qaim 2006, 2008; Meenakshi et al. 2007). According to HarvestPlus, the global alliance of institutions working on this agricultural approach to improve human nutrition, biofortification takes advantage of the daily consumption of large amounts of staple crops by the poor in developing countries – and in doing so several advantages can be exploited: (i) After a one-time investment is made to develop biofortified seeds, recurrent costs are low and germplasm may be shared internationally, making biofortification a cost-effective strategy. (ii) Biofortification provides a means of reaching malnourished populations in relatively remote rural areas who have limited access to processed foods or the public health system. (iii) Biofortification may increase yields because a higher content in trace minerals can also help plants resist disease and other environmental stresses (HarvestPlus 2007). 1 Summary paper of a presentation on the cost-effectiveness of biofortification given at an expert consultation on "Micronutrient deficiencies: can agriculture meet the challenge? ", organised by the FAO Regional Office for the Near East in Cairo on 11-13 December 2007 (http://www.ajstein.de/presentation/Stein_FAO_2007.pdf). Alexander Stein worked on impact assessment and economic analyses of biofortification while being research associate at the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn and at the Institute for Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics of the University of Hohenheim, both Germany. Currently he is a scientific fellow at the European Commission's Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) in Seville, Spain (http://www.AJStein.de).