Cost-effectiveness of biofortification

Abstract

Micronutrient deficiencies are a recognised public health problem in the Near East. Although this problem is often exacerbated through mineral-poor soils, so far agricultural interventions have attracted less attention as complementary approaches to current interventions like pharmaceutical supplementation or industrial fortification. Yet, especially biofortification – i.e. the use of plant breeding to accumulate essential micronutrients in staple crops – promises to offer a very cost-effective strategy to improve the micronutrient intake of poor population groups, particularly in remote rural areas. While achieving dietary diversity for all is a generally accepted objective, this is often only possible in the long run and the cost-effectiveness of this approach is still unclear. Therefore, where the diets of the poor are already monotonous and cereal-based, biofortified crops can replace these micronutrient-poor staples at a low cost, thus offering a potential remedy in the medium-term.