Biofortification Platforms Across Latin American Countries Improve Lives For Millions
The inception of multidisciplinary partnership approaches for tackling malnutrition in Latin American countries has delivered solid results. These platforms have directly benefited thousands of smallholder farmers and indirectly millions of families who consume beans, corn and sweet potatoes biofortified with iron, zinc and provitamin A. Here are some examples of these innovative partnerships that are reaching more and more people with nutritious staples and helping them fight hidden hunger.
Guatemala
The BioFORT Platform is a multisectoral endeavor that coordinates research, development and promotion of biofortified crops to improve nutrition in Guatemala, a nation affected by high rates of hidden hunger. Created in 2015, this alliance is made up of government institutions, non-governmental organizations, universities, seed producers, and civil society, and it coordinates research and development efforts to promote the production and consumption of biofortified crops. Its objective is to strengthen the nutritional status of the Guatemalan population. Read more here.
Brazil
The BioFORT Network (Red BioFORT) was created in Brazil in 2003 with the aim of developing foods rich in micronutrients, particularly provitamin A. Led by Embrapa and supported by HarvestPlus — a world leader in biofortification — and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the network is made up of universities, crop producers, and public and private organizations committed to food security. Drawing on two decades of collaborative research, the network turned to crop biofortification as a strategy to improve the nutrition of the population. Read more here.
Panama
AgroNutre Panama, a project led by Instituto de Innovación Agropecuaria de Panamá (IDIAP) and implemented with the support of HarvestPlus, was created in 2013 to promote the development and consumption of biofortified foods. These highly profitable and environmentally friendly varieties are obtained through low-cost, conventional breeding techniques for genetic improvement. AgroNutre is an inter-institutional and multidisciplinary partnership that has helped 230,000 people fight hidden hunger, has been included among the country’s public policies. Read more here.