Download - Maize

Strategic Initiative 7. Nutritious maize
Value proposition
Using native maize genetic diversity and novel tools, develop and disseminate maize varieties that are
biofortified for pro‐vitamin A (pro‐V A), zinc, or essential amino acids (quality protein maize—QPM),
thereby reducing 10–20% of the life‐years that are lost annually to Vitamin A deficiency in five sub‐
Saharan African countries alone, and benefiting malnourished children who grow up on maize‐based
diets.
Estimated impact 2020 2030
Smallholder families potentially
gaining from this initiative
200,000
(VA: 40,000;
QPM: 160,000)
500,000
(VA: 150,000;
QPM: 350,000)
Increase in maize production 52,000 tons 130,000 tons
Value of nutritionally enriched
maize in terms of disability
adjusted life years (DALYs)
Increased human productivity
(%)
>200 million USD (2 million DALYs at $100 = $200 million;
52,000–130,000 tons of maize at $200/ton = 10.4—$26 million);
This benefit is far higher than the cost of breeding, testing and disseminating
nutritionally enriched maize (Bouis and Welch 2010)
Between 0.5 and 1% of the national human productivity is lost due only to VA
deficiency each year in five representative African countries; 10–20% of this is
expected to be recovered as an impact of this project.
Justification
General background
Maize is the staple food of hundreds of millions of people in tropical and subtropical areas of the
developing world. In Mesoamerica, annual maize consumption exceeds 80 kg per capita in Guatemala,
Honduras, and El Salvador, rising to 125 kg in Mexico. Maize is also the most important cereal food crop
in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), where consumption levels exceed 130 kg per capita per year in Lesotho,
Malawi, and Zambia (FAOSTAT 2006, 2003–2005 average). Maize is mainly a source of energy, providing
over 20% of total calories in human diets in 21 countries, and over 30% in 12 countries that are home to
a total of more than 310 million people. In South and Southeast Asia, where direct maize consumption
on an annual average is estimated to be only 6 and 16 kg per capita, respectively, but there are several
areas (especially in the highlands and tribal regions) where maize is consumed directly at much higher
rates. Heavily maize‐based diets tend to be deficient in the essential amino acids lysine and tryptophan
and lack important micronutrients such as provitamin A, iron, and zinc. The over‐dependence of millions
of the poor on maize results in poor health, stunted growth, reduced capacity for physical activity, and
in extreme cases high incidence of nutritional deficiency diseases such as kwashiorkor, anemia, and
corneal blindness.
Micronutrient malnutrition alone affects more than two billion people, mostly among resource‐poor
families in developing countries. For example, more than 300 million people in India suffer from
micronutrient deficiencies, and 35% of the world’s malnourished children live in India. Maize cultivars
that combine high grain yield with good amino acid composition, increased levels of pro‐vitamin A and
zinc concentrations could enhance production while improving nutrition, health, and the quality of life,
in areas where poverty and low incomes limit access to diversified diets, dietary supplements, or
fortified foods (Meenakshi et al., 2006; Ortiz‐Monasterio et al. 2007; Pfeiffer and McClafferty 2007).
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