Dr. Howarth Bouis is the Director of HarvestPlus Foundation. HarvestPlus’ first funding came from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and it helped launch the program to reduce hidden hunger and strive to provide micronutrients to billions of people.
HarvestPlus coined the term “biofortification” to describe the modification of foods through micronutrients. The foundation focuses on three critical micronutrients that are recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as most limiting in diets: iron, zinc, and vitamin A. It is hoped that within fifteen years, millions of people suffering from micronutrient malnutrition will be eating new biofortified crop varieties.
Major Sponsors of the HarvestPlus programs include The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and World Bank. For more information about their programs: www.harvestplus.org
Tags: agriculture, biofortification, harvestplus, hunger, micronutrients