Role of Research and Innovation to Address Hunger and Malnutrition

Eija PehuScience and Technology AdviserAgriculture and Rural Development DepartmentApril 23, 2009

World Development Report 2008:75% of the world’s poor are rural and most are involved

in farming. In the 21st century agriculture remains fundamental for poverty reduction, economic growth

and environmental sustainability.

Increased per capita food consumption

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1964-66 1974-76 1984-86 1997-99 2015 2030

Food

con

sum

ption

(kca

l/ca

pita

/day

)

World Developing countries

Source: FAO. World agriculture: towards 2015/2030. Summary report

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1800

1869

1874

1879

1884

1889

1894

1899

1904

1909

1914

1919

1924

1929

1934

1939

1944

1949

1954

1959

1964

1969

1974

1979

1984

1989

1994

1999

2004

ton

per

hect

are

UK France US India Argentina China Canada

Long-run Trends in Wheat Yields

Investment in agricultural R&D has been a global success

A few specific examples

• US$9 billion- return on investment for the control of the cassava mealybug in 20 sub-Saharan African countries.

• US$147 million - from applying zero-tillage technology on more than 3.2 million hectares of land, by almost half a million farmers in India and Pakistan.

• For every US$1 invested in CGIAR research, US$9 worth of additional food is produced in developing countries, where it is needed most.

Sources: i) Independent Review of the CGIAR System, CGIAR Independent Review Panel,

2008 ii) The CGIAR at 31: An Independent Meta-Evaluation of the CGIAR, The World

Bank Operations and Evaluations Department (OED), 2003

But Crop Productivity Remains a Challenge

Continued food Insecurity

• World hunger is increasing. • FAO’s most recent estimates

put the number of hungry people at 923 million in 2007 - an increase of more than 80 million since the 1990–92 base period.

Source: FAO. The State of Food Insecurity in the World. 2008

Growth rates of yields for major cereals in developing countries is slowing

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003

Aver

age

annu

al g

row

th r

ate

(%) maize rice wheat

And, water stress is increasingly a key challenge for food production

Rainfall and maize yields inEastern and Southern Africa

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990

Year

Rai

nfal

l (m

m)

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

Mai

ze y

ield

(t/h

a)

Rainfall

Maize yield

Relevance of Drought-Tolerance Technology to African Agriculture

• Africa is a drought-prone continent• The World Food Program spent

US$ 0.565 billion of food emergency to respond to drought in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2003

• Over 95% of cropland in Sub-Saharan Africa is rain-fed and will remain so in the near future

• The risk of drought inreases vulnerability or rural communities

• Yield stability is key Recorded droughts between 1971 and 2000, and the number of people affected

Productivity for sub-optimal conditions: CIMMYT drought tolerant (DT) maize

Selection• Natural genetic variation • Selection under carefully managed

drought conditions• Number of hybrids and OPVs tested

>3,000 entries p.a.• With every year of investment: 100

kg/ha more grain under drought

Working with partners• Partnership during cultivar

development• Support in cultivar testing, release,

and seed production

• Drought-tolerant open-pollinated maize grown on 250,000 hectares in Southern Africa in 2004

• Seed to sow 1 million hectares being produced

• Yields 30% or more than other popular varieties under dry and low soil fertility conditions

• Sustainable seed production systems targeted to smallholders

Drought-tolerant Maize in Southern Africa

-

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Year

Str

es

s t

ole

ran

t m

aiz

e (

ha

)What farmers

grow todayDrought tolerant

Hidden Hunger

Micronutrient Deficiency

Vitamin A

500,000 children each year

Zinc

Estimated 2 billion

Iron

Estimated 2 billion

Iodine

Estimated 1.5 billion

A Massive Problem

Vitamin A RicePioneering Biotechnology Research by Ingo Potrykus

18

Change in texture, nutritional and visible traits need development

together with the end users• Dry matter content in orange flesh sweet potato

--- weaning foods• Educational programs with mothers

Inquilab 91 Advanced Line(biofortified with Zinc)

Pakistan, Peshawar

19

Schedule of Product Releases

Crop NutrientsCountries of First Release

Release Year*

SweetPotato

Provitamin A Uganda, Mozambique 2007

Bean Iron (Zinc) Rwanda/DR Congo 2010

Pearl Millet Iron (Zinc) India 2011

Cassava Provitamin A Nigeria, DR Congo 2012

Rice Zinc (Iron) Bangladesh, India 2012

MaizeProvitamin A Zinc (Iron)

Zambia 2013

Wheat Zinc (Iron) India, Pakistan 2014

• Approved for release by national governments after 2-3 years of testing; 20

• Revitalizing yield growth in the intensive cereal systems of Asia ~

Potentially People reached: more than 3 billion• Conducting climate change and adaptation research ~

Potentially People reached: 1.18 billion• Scaling up biofortification ~

Potentially People reached: 672 million• Developing and disseminating drought tolerant maize in Africa ~

Potentially People reached: 320 million• Connecting agriculture and health ~

Potentially People reached: Global impact• Ensuring women’s full participation in agricultural innovation ~

Potentially People reached: 200 million• Promoting sustainable groundwater use in agriculture ~

Potentially People reached: 261 million• Improving market information and value chains~

Potentially People reached: 45 million

For more information, see - http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/oc58.asp

Development Challenges led Research

But food production only half of the story...

The other Side of the Problem

• WHO experts note that half of the consequences of malnutrition are attributable to environmental issues, especially poor water, sanitation and hygiene (Prüss-Üstun and Corvalán 2006)

• Poor nutritional status, especially in infants and young children, makes infections worse and more frequent (Scrimshaw et al., 1968; Caulfield et al., 2004; Brown 2003)

In climate change hotspots, reduced food availability is coupled with increased likelihood of infection as

water becomes scarcer

Nepal: Second Rural Nepal: Second Rural Water Supply and Water Supply and Sanitation ProjectSanitation Project

Mona SurARD

Start: Water and Sanitation project

• Promotion of sanitation in schools– Institutional latrines– Handwashing w/ soap

• Village health promoters– Healthy home surveys– Behavioral change

communication

Evolution to: Enhancing livelihoods through community driven innovation• Womens Technical Support

Services– Skill enhancement training– Improved access to the

formal credit system– Revolving loan fund

• Jeevika (livelihoods)– Access to finance– Strengthening value chains– Partnerships with the

private sector

To summarize

• Rediscovering the importance of the agriculture sector• Knowledge intensity in agricultural development – local and

formal• Combining productivity goals with nutritional and health goals• Importance of working with rural and urban communities

from discovery to adaptation to the use of the innovations• Recognition of the diversity in needs, roles and

responsibilities of rural communities and members of the households

• For development impact to reduce hunger and malnutrition need to combine agricultural production and nutritional goals with environmental health goals --- multi-sectoral coordination