Biofortified Crops for Improved Human Nutrition : a Challenge Program Proposal Presented by CIAT and IFPRI

At AGM01, ten pilot Challenge Program (CP) pre-proposals were received and presented at the first meeting of the Executive Council (ExCo). Three of the proposals were recommended by the interim Science Council (iSC) and subsequently endorsed by ExCo for full proposal development. The attached document on "Biofortified Crops for Improved Human Nutrition" is one of the CP full proposals reviewed by the iSC and endorsed by ExCo. The presents a brief overview of the CP (objectives, research approaches, partnership arrangements, and business plan) and describes the activities planned for its inception phase, including target outputs. The goal of the proposed program is to improve the health of poor people by breeding staple food crops that are rich in micronutrients, a process referred to here as biofortification.” The Biofortification Challenge Program seeks to bring the full potential of agricultural and nutrition science to bear on the persistent problem of micronutrient malnutrition. Micronutrient malnutrition, primarily the result of diets poor in bioavailable vitamins and minerals, affects more than half of the world’s population, especiallywomen and preschool children. The costs of these deficiencies in terms of lives lost, forgone economic growth, and poor quality of life are staggering. To reach the Millennium Development Goal’s target of halving the proportion of undernourished people by 2015, new technologies and approaches are needed to help address the problem.This document was discussed at the Stakeholder Meeting at AGM02 : agenda item 3 a