Biofortification pioneers recognized

Abstract

Four scientists received the World Food Prize in October 2016 for work in biofortification. The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) applauds the prize committee for selecting scientists working in this area. The prize, in its 30th year, is awarded annually at a ceremony in Des Moines, IA. This year's recipients are all distinguished scientists working in biofortification: Maria Andrade, Howarth Bouis, Jan Low, and Robert Mwanga. And one of the World Food Prize recipients, Bouis, is also recipient of this year's CSSA Presidential Award. Biofortified crops have higher amounts of specific nutrients, like zinc or iron, upon harvest—with the plants doing the work. Bouis is one of the pioneers of biofortification and the founder of HarvestPlus. Mike Grusak, CSSA president, nominated Bouis for the 2016 award, even before learning of the World Food Prize nomination. “Howdy was instrumental in getting the HarvestPlus biofortification project started, with the principal goal of using agriculture to address human micronutrient deficiencies,” Grusak says. “His leadership in building interdisciplinary teams and his vision to focus on ‘Better Crops for Better Nutrition’ has helped show how agriculture can impact the health and food security of people throughout the world. Howdy truly deserves the CSSA Presidential Award and the recognition as a co-recipient of this year's World Food Prize!” Many foods are fortified during processing in developed countries, such as milk with vitamin D and commercial cereals with added iron. Populations with a limited diet and no access to fortified foods often suffer the health consequences of poor nutrition. But biofortification increases (or varies) nutrients in the crops themselves, making these nutrients more available worldwide. Jason Gillman, a crop scientist with the USDA-ARS, speaks to the importance of biofortification. “Many crop plants, while high yielding, are deficient in one or more essential nutrients. Biofortification is a process by which nutritional potential is improved through genetics, plant breeding, biotechnology, or agronomic practices.” Gillman is also the chairperson for CSSA's Biomedical, Health Beneficial, and Nutritionally Enhanced Plants Division. Ross Welch, Robin Graham, and Howdy Bouis visiting Turkey in 2016. Photo courtesy HarvestPlus. Howdy Bouis with Ellen Bergfeld, CEO of ACSESS, at the World Food Prize celebration. Photo by M. Pings. Another biofortification pioneer, Ross M. Welch, emeritus professor from Cornell University, remembers the first conversation he had with Bouis about the potential for biofortified crops. Bouis asked many researchers whether biofortification was possible. More often than not, the answer was yield would decrease at the expense of increased nutrients. Welch believed biofortifying crops could not only benefit human health, but also increase yields for some crops. Bouis and Welch, along with Robin Graham, University of Adelaide, Australia, began researching biofortification. According to Bouis, “Ross and Robin had published research to show that wheat seeds with higher zinc content were more vigorous and viable. Seedlings got a better start. Yields were higher.” From Bouis’ perspective, having the plants do some of the fortification work would save time and money. “Billions of dollars are spent annually in developing countries on supplementation and commercial fortification to address the problem of micronutrient malnutrition. Benefit-cost ratios are among the highest of any intervention that can be made. However, the same recurrent expenditures are incurred year after year.” Biofortification could avoid some of those recurring expenses. Over a decade of grant-writing and meetings ensued. The persistence paid off when the team secured funding “to set up the HarvestPlus organization that continues to breed, release, and distribute biofortified crops to farmers of the poorest of the poor in the developing world,” Welch says. “I am very proud of our accomplishments over the past 23 years. The award of the World Food Prize to Howdy now makes all our hard work worthwhile, and I hope that HarvestPlus continues to grow and spread nutritious staple food crops to the world.” Bouis adds, “I was honored to accept the World Food Prize on behalf of HarvestPlus staff and collaborating scientists, implementers, and their respective organizations. After many years, our collective effort has positioned us to aspire to reach a billion people by 2030. The prize gives us the visibility we need for scaling up and mainstreaming biofortified crops.” One type of crop Bouis has worked to biofortify is pulse crops. Pulses, such as dried beans and peas, are an important staple crop in many parts of the world. This year, CSSA has been celebrating the UN-declared International Year of Pulses. For more information about the CSSA's activities during this year, visit www.crops.org/iyp. To find out more about the World Food Prize, visit www.worldfoodprize.org.