IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/fpr/harvwp/11.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Prioritizing countries for biofortification Interventions using country-level data

Author

Listed:
  • Asare-Marfo, Dorene
  • Birol, Ekin
  • Gonzalez, Carolina
  • Moursi, Mourad
  • Perez, Salomon
  • Schwarz, Jana
  • Zeller, Manfred

Abstract

Micronutrient malnutrition, also known as hidden hunger, affects two billion people worldwide. In recent years, the global challenge of reducing hidden hunger and hence improving related health outcomes through agricultural interventions has received much attention. One potential solution is biofortification—the process of breeding and delivering staple food crops with higher micronutrient content. Biofortification could prove to be a cost-effective and sustainable strategy, especially in rural areas of many developing countries where production and consumption of staple crops is high and high micronutrient deficiency rates are rampant. The aim of this paper is to develop and implement country-crop-micronutrient–specific biofortification prioritization indices (BPIs) that will rank countries according to their suitability for investment in biofortification interventions to be used by various stakeholders with differing objectives. BPIs combine subindices for production, consumption, and micronutrient deficiency, using country-level crop production and consumption data primarily from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and iron, zinc, and vitamin A deficiency data from the World Health Organization (WHO). BPIs are calculated for seven staple crops that have been developed and for 127 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. BPIs should not be used as a one-stop shop for making decisions on biofortification investment decisions because they have several limitations. As they are currently calculated, BPIs do not explicitly take cost-effectiveness into account, neither do they allow for a subnational analysis. Future research will address these shortcomings. For now, the BPIs presented in this paper are useful tools for highlighting those countries that may benefit from significant reductions in micronutrient deficiency through biofortification of staple crops.

Suggested Citation

  • Asare-Marfo, Dorene & Birol, Ekin & Gonzalez, Carolina & Moursi, Mourad & Perez, Salomon & Schwarz, Jana & Zeller, Manfred, 2013. "Prioritizing countries for biofortification Interventions using country-level data," HarvestPlus working papers 11, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:harvwp:11
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/harvestpluswp_11.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sharma, Manohar, 2000. "Microfinance," MP05 briefs 0, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Carla Henry & Manohar Sharma & Cecile Lapenu & Manfred Zeller, 2003. "Microfinance Poverty Assessment Tool," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15065, December.
    3. Stein, Alexander J. & Meenakshi, J.V. & Qaim, Matin & Nestel, Penelope & Sachdev, H.P.S. & Bhutta, Zulfiqar A., 2008. "Potential impacts of iron biofortification in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1797-1808, April.
    4. Matin Qaim & Alexander J. Stein & J. V. Meenakshi, 2007. "Economics of biofortification," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 37(s1), pages 119-133, December.
    5. Smale, Melinda, 1995. ""Maize is life": Malawi's delayed Green Revolution," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 819-831, May.
    6. Schmidt, Emily & Dorosh, Paul A., 2009. "A sub-national hunger index for Ethiopia: Assessing progress in region-level outcomes," ESSP discussion papers 5, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Paarlberg, Robert L., 2012. "Impact Assessment: IFPRI 2020 conference "Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health":," Impact assessments 34, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Meenakshi, J.V. & Johnson, Nancy L. & Manyong, Victor M. & DeGroote, Hugo & Javelosa, Josyline & Yanggen, David R. & Naher, Firdousi & Gonzalez, Carolina & García, James & Meng, Erika, 2010. "How Cost-Effective is Biofortification in Combating Micronutrient Malnutrition? An Ex ante Assessment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 64-75, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Murekezi, Abdoul & Oparinde, Adewale & Birol, Ekin, 2017. "Consumer market segments for biofortified iron beans in Rwanda: Evidence from a hedonic testing study," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 35-49.
    2. Vaiknoras, Kate A. & Larochelle, Catherine & Birol, Ekin & Asare-Marfo, Dorene & Herrington, Caitlin, 2017. "The Roles of Formal and Informal Delivery Approaches in Achieving Fast and Sustained Adoption of Biofortified Crops: Learnings from the Iron Bean Delivery Approaches in Rwanda," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258288, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Vaiknoras, Kate A. & Larochelle, Catherine, 2018. "The Impact of Biofortified Iron Bean Adoption on Productivity, and Bean Consumption, Purchases and Sales," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274231, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Pandey, Vijay Laxmi & Mahendra Dev, S. & Jayachandran, Usha, 2016. "Impact of agricultural interventions on the nutritional status in South Asia: A review," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 28-40.
    5. Herrington, C. & Funes, J. & Lividini, K. & Moursi, M. & Taleon, V. & Asare-Marfo, D. & Birol, E., 2018. "Subnational Prioritization for Biofortification Interventions in Nigeria," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277092, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Pérez, Salomón & Buritica, Alexander & Oparinde, Adewale & Birol, Ekin & Gonzalez, Carolina & Zeller, Manfred, 2017. "Identifying Socioeconomic Characteristics Defining Consumers’ Acceptance for Main Organoleptic Attributes of an Iron-biofortified Bean Variety in Guatemala," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 8(3), August.
    7. Vaiknoras, Kate & Larochelle, Catherine & Birol, Ekin & Asare-Marfo, Dorene & Herrington, Caitlin, 2019. "Promoting rapid and sustained adoption of biofortified crops: What we learned from iron-biofortified bean delivery approaches in Rwanda," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 271-284.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nguema, Abigail & Norton, George W. & Fregene, Martin & Sayre, Richard & Manary, Mark, 2011. "Expected economic benefits of meeting nutritional needs through biofortified cassava in Nigeria and Kenya," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 6(1), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Khor, L.Y. & Zeller, M., 2018. "Storing a staple crop for own consumption: Linkages to food security," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277244, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Qaim, Matin, 2014. "Evaluating nutrition and health impacts of agricultural innovations," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 185785, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    4. Banerji, Abhijit & Birol, Ekin & Karandikar, Bhushana & Rampal, Jeevant, 2016. "Information, branding, certification, and consumer willingness to pay for high-iron pearl millet: Evidence from experimental auctions in Maharashtra, India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 133-141.
    5. Gunaratna, Nilupa S. & Groote, Hugo De & Nestel, Penelope & Pixley, Kevin V. & McCabe, George P., 2010. "A meta-analysis of community-based studies on quality protein maize," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 202-210, June.
    6. Horton, Sue & Wesley, Annie & Venkatesh Mannar, M.G., 2011. "Double-fortified salt reduces anemia, benefit:cost ratio is modestly favorable," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 581-587, October.
    7. Carolina González & Nancy Johnson & Matin Qaim, 2009. "Consumer Acceptance of Second‐Generation GM Foods: The Case of Biofortified Cassava in the North‐east of Brazil," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 604-624, September.
    8. Muriithi, Beatrice W. & Matz, Julia Anna, 2015. "Welfare effects of vegetable commercialization: Evidence from smallholder producers in Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 80-91.
    9. Alia, Didier Y. & Agamile, Peter & McFeely, Micah & Anderson, C. Leigh, 2023. "Assessing the Benefits of Multi-biofortified Rice in Nigeria and Ghana using the Disability-Adjusted Life Years Framework," 2023 Annual Meeting, July 23-25, Washington D.C. 335948, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    10. Dufhues, T. & Buchenrieder, G., 2007. "Reaching the poorest with microcredit an impossible attempt? New evidence from Northern Vietnam," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 42, March.
    11. Hao Luan & Xiangping Jia & Jikun Huang, 2014. "Household Access to Nongovernmental Microfinance, Formal Credit and Informal Credit in Rural China," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 4, pages 61-76, May.
    12. Glenk, Klaus & Barkmann, Jan & Schwarze, Stefan & Zeller, Manfred & Marggraf, Rainer, 2006. "Differential Influence of Relative Poverty on Preferences for Ecosystem Services: Evidence from Rural Indonesia," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25681, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Seema Sheoran & Sandeep Kumar & Vinita Ramtekey & Priyajoy Kar & Ram Swaroop Meena & Chetan Kumar Jangir, 2022. "Current Status and Potential of Biofortification to Enhance Crop Nutritional Quality: An Overview," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-27, March.
    14. Dufhues, Thomas & Buchenrieder, Gertrud, 2005. "Outreach of credit institutes and households' access constraints to formal credit in Northern Vietnam," Research in Development Economics and Policy (Discussion Paper Series) 8535, Universitaet Hohenheim, Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics.
    15. Muriithi, Beatrice W. & Matz, Julia Anna, 2014. "Smallholder Participation in the Commercialisation of Vegetables: Evidence from Kenyan Panel Data," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 53(2), pages 1-28, May.
    16. Okojie, Christiana & Monye-Emina, A. & Eghafona, K. & Osaghae, G. & Ehiakhamen, J.O., 2009. "Institutional environment and access to microfinance by self-employed women in the rural areas of Edo state, Nigeria:," NSSP working papers 3, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    17. Asad K. Ghalib, 2011. "Estimating the depth of microfinance programme outreach: empirical findings from rural Pakistan," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 15411, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    18. Pandey, Vijay Laxmi & Mahendra Dev, S. & Jayachandran, Usha, 2016. "Impact of agricultural interventions on the nutritional status in South Asia: A review," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 28-40.
    19. Kassie, Girma Tesfahun & Erenstein, Olaf & Mwangi, Wilfred & La Rovere, Roberto & Setimela, Peter S. & Langyintuo, Augustine S., 2012. "Characterization of Maize Production in Southern Africa: Synthesis of CIMMYT/DTMA Household Level Farming System Surveys in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe," Socioeconomics Program Working Papers 147108, CIMMYT: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
    20. Meenakshi, J.V. & Johnson, Nancy L. & Manyong, Victor M. & DeGroote, Hugo & Javelosa, Josyline & Yanggen, David R. & Naher, Firdousi & Gonzalez, Carolina & García, James & Meng, Erika, 2010. "How Cost-Effective is Biofortification in Combating Micronutrient Malnutrition? An Ex ante Assessment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 64-75, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Biofortification; food security; Iron; malnutrition; Micronutrient malnutrition; Micronutrients; Micronutrients deficiency; Nutrition; Nutrition security; Vitamin A; Zinc;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:fpr:harvwp:11. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ifprius.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.