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News Room
New Method to Improve Provitamin A Content of Maize Developed
HarvestPlus collaborator Torbert Rocheford is part of an investigative team that has identified genetic markers associated with higher levels of Vitamin A precursors, in maize. This paves the way for scientists, including those in developing countries, to easily and quickly identify varieties with naturally higher levels of beta-carotene for breeding programs. It’s expected that this will significantly speed up breeding for new varieties of maize that are rich in Vitamin A. This could be of tremendous benefit in regions such as Africa, where Vitamin A deficiency causes tens of thousands of children to go blind every year.
These findings were reported in Science, on January 18.
Learn more about Vitamin A deficiency.
Co-Investigators
HarvestPlus Director Meets Princess of Thailand
 HarvestPlus Director, Howdy Bouis, recently met H.R.H. Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess of Thailand following the opening ceremony of BioAsia 2007, an international conference on technological innovations in agriculture. Bouis was at BioAsia to deliver a keynote lecture on biofortification as a new plant breeding strategy to improve nutrition. Bouis presented a HarvestPlus poster to the princess that featured research being done at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to breed higher levels of zinc into rice, a staple food in Asia. "Zinc is critical for physical growth and development and millions of people in Asia are at risk of low zinc intake," said Bouis. Following his conversation with H.R.H, Bouis noted that the Princess, who is known for her commitment to improving education, was well aware that good nutrition is critical to children's cognitive development and growth. "The Princess has visited IRRI and understands how important agriculture is. Once new biofortified varieties of rice are released," he said," the potential impact on improving nutrition in Asia is enormous."
Sweetpotato: Thanksgiving Favorite is Leading a Nutrition Revolution in Africa
Mission Man: Howarth Bouis has found a way to alleviate childhood malnutrition in the developing world. So why haven't you heard of him?
In the November issue of Gourmet magazine, you can read about Dr. Bouis, Director of HarvestPlus, an international research program that seeks to reduce micronutrient malnutrition by harnessing agricultural technology to breed staple crops (which generally have little nutritious value) for better nutrition. This revolutionary process is known as biofortification—breeding crops with higher levels of vitamins and minerals.
The Gourmet article tells the story of Rougui, a malnourished African girl, and Bouis' decades-long struggle to win support for his biofortification concept. Across the developing world, despondent mothers tell similar stories—of sluggish infants and slow-moving preschoolers, of children plagued with vague maladies of every sort. The so-called "hidden hunger" from which they suffer is caused by a diet lacking in essential vitamins and minerals because much of Africa's rural poor cannot afford nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish.
In Africa, where one-third of all children under five are stunted physically and mentally and hundreds of thousands of preschoolers go blind due to hidden hunger, HarvestPlus, the International Potato Center, and African partners have successfully introduced "biofortified" sweetpotatoes packed with vitamin A, giving children like Rougui hope for a healthy future.
For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr. Howarth Bouis, please contact Michele Pietrowski:
m.pietrowski@cgiar.org, +1(202)862-4630.
Please note: The article is only available in the print edition of Gourmet magazine. The November issue will be on newsstands on October 23.
Background Information on HarvestPlus, Biofortified Sweetpotato, and Vitamin A Deficiency
- Sweetpotato: A Solution to Vitamin A Deficiency in Africa?
- FAQ: The Sweet n' Low on Sweetpotato
- Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency among Children in Sub-Saharan Africa: Country Data
- Biographies
Photos
© Kwasi Ampofo, 2006
Sweetpotato cut in half shows the orange flesh that is so rich in beta-carotene.
© Kwasi Ampofo, 2005
Promoting sweetpotato consumption in Mozambique.
© International Potato Center, 2006
African boy eating orange-fleshed sweetpotato.
© International Potato Center, 2006
African farmer displays a sweetpotato root.
Photo of Howarth Bouis, Director, HarvestPlus.
For more information, see:
- HarvestPlus Brochure: Breeding Crops for Better Nutrition
- Biofortified Sweetpotato
For all media-related enquiries, please contact:
Bonnie McClafferty
HarvestPlus
Phone: 202.862.8141
Email: b.mcclafferty@cgiar.org
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