Nutrition. Health. Resilience. Livelihoods.
How does biofortification make a positive difference in the lives of smallholder farming families and SME entrepreneurs in agricultural value chains?
These stories provide real-world examples of what is possible when people are empowered to grow, eat, and trade in nutrient-enriched seeds, crops, and foods.
The HarvestPlus approach also prioritizes engaging and empowering women—as family members, farmers, and entrepreneurs—some of whom are featured below.
“We will always produce biofortified foods as that has the potential to save thousands of families from hidden hunger.”
— Lilian Murangariri, Owner, Sunshine Group food company, Zimbabwe
“I have benefited a lot from growing [vitamin A] orange sweet potatoes and iron beans. I’m now able to pay school fees for my children…and I have started building a house.”
— Namukose Babiwemba, widow and mother of two children; farmer and entrepreneur, Uganda
This season I kept a higher percentage of the harvest for my family’s consumption because this zinc biofortified rice provides important nutrition to my children and grandchildren.” farmer who lives with his family of eight in Thakurgaon, Bangladesh
“Vitamin A cassava is a major source of nourishing food readily available to the people of my community, as well as a source of income for women and youth. So many young people and women are now employed in the cassava value chain.”
— Hassana Hassan, Entrepreneur and Owner, Rahama Cassava Snacks
“In my area there are at least five producers who are planting biofortified crops, since we share the seeds among ourselves….And in doing so, we share the nutritional value that it provides!”
— Nolberto Pérez, iron bean and zinc maize farmer, Western Colombia
ENRICH Program Promotes Biofortified Crops in Kenya’s Land of Champions
Margaret Kurgat wades through her lush green sweet potato plot at the back of her house. In search of a meal for her guests, she reflects back on how things have changed since she started growing sweet potatoes on her farm. “I used to work as a casual laborer to earn a living and provide for […]
For Farmers in the Indian Desert, Zinc Wheat Has Been a Lockdown Lifeline
For 96 farming families in the parched Jodhpur and Bikaner districts of the Indian state of Rajasthan, zinc-biofortified wheat was a nutrition bonus during difficult times. Having been introduced to the crop in late 2019, shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the zinc wheat helped the smallholder farmers get through a tough lockdown […]
Pakistan Farmers Grow New Zinc Wheat Variety For Improved Nutrition
An improved zinc-biofortified wheat variety, Akbar-2019, is being grown by farmers in Pakistan during the 2020-2021 planting season. First developed jointly by HarvestPlus and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in 2013, and tested in more than 60 field trials in Pakistan, Akbar-2019 is a second-wave zinc wheat variety that will contribute to alleviating hidden […]