m.s. swaminathan presents: achieving the zero hunger challenge & the role of biofortification
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Professor M.S. Swaminathan presents "Achieving the Zero Hunger Challenge & the Role of Biofortification" at The 2nd Global Conference on Biofortification: Getting Nutritious Foods to People in Kigali, Rwanda. April 1, 2014TRANSCRIPT
2nd Global Conference on Biofortification
Prof M S Swaminathan, FNA, FRSUNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology, MSSRF, Chennai
Kigali, Rwanda, 1 April 2014
Biofortification and theZero Hunger Challenge
United Nations Secretary-General’s
Vision (2012)
Source: www.un.org
2025 : Target Year for Achieving Zero Hunger Challenge
UK Prime Minister’s InitiativeOn 12 August 2012, the closing day of
the London Olympics, the Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom, David
Cameron, launched, a programme
designed to rescue 25 million children
from malnutrition-induced stunting by
2016, when the next Olympics will
take place at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Biofortification is an important
pathway for achieving this goal
speedily and economically.
South Asian Enigma
o Extraordinary economic growth in South Asia
o Population largely dependent on agriculture
o Yet, 2 out of 5 children stunted
39% of children are stunted in South Asia
UNICEF 2013
61.7
11 9.6 8 7.5 6
Top 6 countries with highest number of stunted children
(millions)
UNICEF 2013
o Region with the largest number of children with stunted growth
o First 1000 days critical. Low Birth Weight Babies 1 in 4
o Under-nutrition reduces a nation’s economic advancement by 8% (Lancet 2013)
South Asian Enigma
Source : IFPRI
AFRICAN ENIGMA
Prosperity of Nature but Poverty of People
AFRICAHalving hunger :
it can be done
M S Swaminathan &
Pedro A Sanchez
UN Millennium Project 2005
Source: FAO, US Energy Administration and www.indexmundi.org and http://quotes.post1.org/historical-crude-oil-price-chart/ (data updated as on March 14, 2014)
The Future
Belongs to
Nations with
Grains and
not Guns
Price Volatility
HungerChronic
Hidden
Transient
Food
Security :
Availability
Access
Absorption
Awareness – Analysis - Action
MSSRF / WFP : Food Insecurity Atlas
CALORIE DEPRIVATION
PROTEIN DEFICIENCY
MICRONUTRIENTDEFICIENCY
Picture Source: Google images
Three major dimensions of hunger
Biofortifcation answers all three dimensions
Comparison of woo-gen (right) and dee-geo-woo-gen strains, the latter containing
the sd1 mutation
The effects of different Rht alleles on plant height in wheat (cv. April
Bearded). The wild-type contains Rht-B1a and Rht-D1a, which are homoeologous (corresponding) genes on the B and D genomes. Rht-
B1c is a more severe allele at the Rht-B1 locus
Source: http://5e.plantphys.net/
Overcoming Undernutrition: The Green Revolution in Wheat and Rice
Green Revolution Symphony (1968)
o Technology
o Services
o Public Policies
o Farmers’ enthusiasm
Indian farmers achieved as much progress in wheat production in four years (1964–68), as during the preceding 4000 years.
Major Components
Synergy among Scientific skill, Political will and Farmers’ toil
Evergreen Revolution is the Pathway
o World requires 50% more
rice in 2030 than in 2004
with approximately 30%
less arable land of today
o Mainstreaming ecology in
technology development
and dissemination is the
road to sustainable
agriculture
Prodn.x 9Yield x3Area x 2.5
1960-61- 11.0 MT1965-66 – 10.4 MT1973-74 - 20.8 MT
An Evergreen Revolution in Wheat
Goal for 2030 : 150 million tonnes of wheat from 30 million ha
Prerequisites : Soil & Plant Health Care& Remunerative Market
No Time to Relax : Major Challenges Ahead
o Avoiding Food losses and Food Waste
o Climate change, temperature, precipitation, and
sea level
o Shrinking per capita land and water resources
o Expanding biotic and abiotic stresses
o Adverse cost-risk-return structure of farming
o Market volatility
o Reluctance of youth to take to farming : Lack of
Demographic Dividend
Biofortification and Zero Hunger Challenge :3 Major approaches
1. Naturally occurring biofortified plants like moringa,
sweet potato, nutri-millets and fruits and vegetables.
2. Biofortified varieties selected by breeding and
selection, eg, iron rich pearl millet and zinc rich rice
3. Genetically biofortified crops like Golden Rice and
iron rich rice (after appropriate regulatory
clearance)
Cultivate and Consume
25 x iron in spinach17 x calcium in milk15 x potassium in bananas10 x vitamin A in carrots9 x protein in yogurt
National Geographic, November 2012
Role of Agro-forestry in BiofortificationMoringa Oleifera
Agro-forestry : Common land use in Africa
Breadfruit Can Be Manna
o The Breadfruit Institute has
found that the perennial trees
produce more food in dry
weight per hectare than corn,
rice, or wheat
o A fruit rich in iron, potassium,
and Vitamin A precursors
Source: Science Vol 342 18 October 2013
Rich source of Vitamin C
Phyllanthus emblica
Picture Source: Google images
Rich in Nutrition; Climate SmartCulinary Diversity
Source : http://foodtank.com/news/2014/03/california-drought-time-to-rethink-forgotten-grains
Combating California drought again : Revive Dying Wisdom and Vanishing Crops
Convert Calamity into an Opportunity
Science, Vol 325, 31 July 2009
Gene Banks for a
Warming Planet
The National Horticulture
Mission of India aims to provide
horticultural remedies to
nutritional maladies. As a result
of this Mission, the production
of fruits and vegetables has
reached a level of 270 million
tonnes in India during 2013-14.
Develop Safe Storage Facilities
Orange-fleshed Sweet Potato Rich in Beta carotene
Quality Protein Maize
Biofortification through breeding:High-iron Pearl Millet
ICTP 8203ICRISAT-bred OPV
(70-74 ppm Fe)With 10% Higher Yield
86M86Pioneer hybrid (54-64 ppm Fe)
Marketed by NIRMAL SEEDS
World’s first high-zinc rice released in Bangladesh
Source : Rice Today, Oct-Dec 2013, Vol12, No.4
19 varieties of Yam in 4 species were in Cultivation (as of
2006) but less than 5 in rural market and none in urban market
Dioscorea alata1. Inchikachil I & II`2. Kuzhikavithu I3. Kuzhikavithu II4. Quintalkachil I 5. Quintalkachil II 6. Anakomban7. Kaduvakkayyan8. Urulan kachil9. Kuppathottikizhangu10. Elivalankachil11. Neendi/Veetukizhangu12. Vella kachil I & II13. Chorakachil/cherakachil/chuvappukachil/ Neela kachil I, II & III
Dioscorea esculenta14. Nanakizhangu15. Vella Enchi kachil16. Mullan Kachil
Dioscorea rotundata17.Africankachil 18. Thoonankachi
Dioscorea bulbifera 19. Erachikachil/Adathappu
Life Saving Crops
in Wayanad
Leveraging Agro-forestry for Nutrition
Kolli Hills
Biofortified Multiple Cropping System
o 3500 rice accessions (rice landraces of CG,Orissa, TN), 100 popular rice cultivars and650 advanced breeding lines have beenscreened
o 14 genotypes with high Zn content inpolished grains with 35-40 ug/g have beenidentified
o Selection and phenotyping of 40 ricegenotypes are under multi-location trials
Rice Breeding for High Zinc Rice
Source : MSSRF & IGAU, Raipur
Marker Assisted Breeding IR 38 x Jeerige sanna
BI 33 x Jeerige sanna
Azucena x Moromutant
Five mapping populationshave been developed andpurified.
Molecular markers for genesassociated with iron uptake,transport and accumulationhave been designed.
Marker Assisted Selection iseligible for organiccertification
Source : Indian Biofortification Network
Back cross derived lines in Swarna background
using Kaybonet-GR2-R event as donor
Swarna Golden Swarna
Source : IARI, New Delhi
Genetic Modification : Golden Rice
780
bp
Line 4 Homozygous plantsNT P
(b)
650bp
Line 12 Homozygous Transgenic
plants
H2O
M
NT P
(a)
Tissue specific expression of ferritin gene from
mangrove in rice for iron fortification
Avicennia marina Transgenic Rice lines
Stable inheritance of transgenics
Am Fer
Am Fer
Am Fer
Genetic map of Am Ferin transgenics
Source : MSSRF
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1
Series1
Series2
Series3
Series4
Series5
Series6
Series7
Series8
Series9
Series10
Series11
Series12
Series13
Series14Polished rice with stable expression of 21-28ppm Iron
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Expression of Iron in Rice Endosperm
Golden Rice : Trial Site Vandalized in Bicol, Philippines
Source: Rice Today, IRRI, Oct-Dec 2013, Vol.12, No.4
Establish Regulatory system which inspires public, professional, political and media confidence
“FSN involves the introduction of agriculturalremedies to the nutritional maladies prevailing in anarea, through the mainstreaming of nutritionalcriteria in the selection of the components of afarming system involving crops, farm animals andwhere feasible, fish. While finalizing the componentsof a farming system, the gender and age dimensionsof human nutritional needs are kept in view, such asthe special needs of pregnant women and nursingmothers, and new born babies during the first 1000days after conception and birth”. Biofortified cropvarieties are introduced in FSN wherever available.
Farming System for Nutrition (FSN)*
*Designed by MSS for LANSA
“Take it to the Farmer” (Dr Norman Borlaug)
Lab to Lab:All India Coordinated Research Project
Lab to LandNational DemonstrationsKrishi Vigyan Kendras (Farm Science Centre)Village Knowledge CentresDairy CooperativesFisher Friend Applications
Land to LabGlobally Important Agricultural Heritage Sites
Land to LandNational Tonnage Club of FarmersFarm Schools (Farmer to Farmer Learning)
Bridging the gap betweenscientific know-how and farmers’ do how
Jamsetji Tata National Virtual Academy (NVA) Fellows
Celebration of the Core Competence of Rural India
Role of Community Hunger Fighters in Biofortification
o Become well-versed on thecauses and cures for theendemic and hidden hungerprevailing in the village /town through a nutritionliteracy programme
o Identify and introduceagricultural remedies tonutritional maladies based ongender and age
o Introduce in the farmingsystem biofortified crops andvarieties
Fighting Poverty induced Chronic HungerNational Food Security Bill of India, 2013
Goal : To provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access toadequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices
Special Features :
o Life Cycle approach with emphasis on the 1000 days of achild’s life
o The senior most woman in the household will be designatedthe Head of the Household from the point of view of foodentitlements
o Enlargement of the Food Basket by including nutri-milletsand other orphan crops in the Public Distribution System
o Entitlement : Every person belonging to priority householdsshall be entitled to receive five kilogram of foodgrains perperson per month at subsidised prices.
Conclusions
o Enlargement of the Food Basket : Under the National FoodSecurity Act, nutri-cereals like a wide range of millets andorphan crops will be included in the Public DistributionSystem at Rs. 1 per kg (1 US Dollar - 60 Rupees)
o National Horticulture Mission : Horticultural Remedies willbe popularised for major nutritional maladies under a wellfunded National Horticulture Mission
o Launching a Nutri-Farm Movement : The Nutri-farmMovement will include the popularisation of biofortifiedvarieties and crops like iron-rich pearl millet, zinc rich wheatand rice, protein rich maize
I. Initiatives of the Government of India
The above steps will help to address both calorie deprivation and micro-nutrient malnutrition
Contd….
Conclusions
II. Initiatives of State Governments
o Supply of protein rich grain
legumes like chickpea, beans,
pigeon pea, lentils, green and
black gram etc
o Multiple fortified salt
o Supply of eggs in school noon
meal programmes
Contd….
Conclusions
III. Contributions of MSSRF1. Getting Governments resolve at the Asia-Pacific
conference on the Year of Family Farming that everyFamily Farm will be developed into a biofortified farm
2. Establishment of Genetic Gardens of Biofortified Cropsand varieties both for promoting nutritional literacy andthe conservation, cultivation, consumption andcommerce of such nutrition rich crops. The proposedMSSRF Genetic Garden of Biofortified crops may be thefirst of its kind in the world.
3. Take an active part in the HarvestPlus programme andother similar programmes and undertake nutritionalenrichment of staples and commonly consumedvegetables through Mendelian breeding and marker-assisted selection.
Contd….
Conclusions
o 2013 was commemorated as the Year of Quinoa
o 2014 is observed as the International Year of FamilyFarming
o 2016 will be celebrated as the Year of Pulses
o The Second Global Biofortification Conference mayrecommend to the UN that a Year between 2018 and 2020may be observed as the International Year of Biofortifiedand Underutilised Crops. This will be an important step inmeeting the Zero Hunger Challenge by 2025, sincebiofortified crops help to address simultaneously under-and malnutrition.
Contd….
4. International Year of Underutilised and Biofortified Crops
Six Keys to Success
1. Farmers Decision on Crop and Varietal Choice: governed by the cost – risk – return structure of farming; soil nutrient composition influences crop nutrient composition
2. Consumers Decision based on cost and culinary characteristics
3. Public – Private Partnerships: Pricing, procurement, value chain development, public distribution and social protection
Contd….
4. Nutritional Literacy: capacity building of community hunger fighters
5. Convergence and Synergy among food and non food factors; Coalition for a Nutrition Secure India
6. Measurement of Impact: adopt measurable indicators
Six Keys to Success
Towards an Era of Biohappiness
Sustainable Development Goals
Zero Hunger Challenge
Biofortification is the Pathway
LANSA (Leveraging Agriculture
for Nutrition in South Asia) is
an effective platform for
partnership