Enhancing Nutrition, Crop Resilience, and Food Security through Biofortification

Abstract

Biofortification is a process of enhancing the nutritional quality of food crops through conventional plant breeding, genetic engineering, or agronomic practices. It has emerged as an important agricultural strategy to improve public health by increasing the micronutrient density in staple crops and vegetables. Biofortification provides a cost-effective and sustainable approach to combat micronutrient deficiencies, also known as hidden hunger, which affects over 2 billion people worldwide. This review provides an overview of biofortification efforts targeting major micronutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin A, and folate. The genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying elevated micronutrient accumulation are discussed. The review also summarizes the impacts of biofortification in enhancing micronutrient intake, nutritional status, and health outcomes based on results from efficacy and effectiveness studies. The role of biofortification in building climate resilience and food security is also examined. Overall, biofortification has shown considerable promise in tackling malnutrition sustainably in developing countries. However, continued research and policy support are needed to maximize its impact on nutrition security worldwide.