About HarvestPlus

Harvest Plus seeks to reduce micronutrient malnutrition among the poor by breeding staple food crops that are rich in micronutrients through a process called biofortification. This takes advantage of the consistent daily consumption of large amounts of staple food crops by the poor in developing countries, especially women and children, who are most at risk for micronutrient malnutrition.

There are several advantages to a biofortification strategy:

• After a one-time investment is made to develop biofortifed seeds, recurrent costs are low and germplasm may be shared internationally, making biofortification a cost-effective strategy.
• Biofortification provides a means of reaching malnourished populations in relatively remote rural areas, delivering naturally fortified foods to people with limited access to commercially marketed fortified foods or supplements. Biofortification, commercial fortification, and supplementation are highly complementary strategies for reaching app populations at risk.
• Biofortification may also increase farm productivity in developing countries in an environmentally beneficial way. Recent research has shown that the same trace minerals that improve human nutrition can help plants resist disease and other environmental stresses.

HarvestPlus is a Global Challenge Program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It is coordinated by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).