Malnutrition is one of the greatest global health challenges, and every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition, namely the lack of access to staple foods or the so-called hidden hunger which is related to micronutrient deficiency. World hunger is on the rise and according to United Nations estimates, there are as many as 828 million people estimated to be affected by hunger, which is nearly 10% percent of people globally. From 2019 to 2022, the number of undernourished people grew by as many as 150 million, a crisis that is driven largely by conflict, climate change, and the coronavirus pandemic. To achieve the United Nations Program Sustainable Development Goal “to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”, a coordinated strategy is needed to enhance food production, and decrease malnutrition globally.
Over the past decade, there have been advances in agriculture biotechnology to generate nutritionally improved crops, and it is now possible to cultivate crops that are nutritionally enhanced. Combating malnutrition (in all its forms) and increasing worldwide food security, the development, and integration of new strategies to enhance the production and yield of these high-quality, nutritionally enhanced crops are needed. The development of crops with high bioavailable micronutrients is an effective approach to reduce malnutrition and increase overall human health, while the scale-up and consumption of these crops should be enhanced to successfully reduce world hunger.
This Research Topic will focus on examining how various techniques such as innovative breeding, and molecular and transgenic approaches can be applied to produce high-yielding and quality food crops with bioavailable micronutrients.
We welcome original research, systematic review, review articles, and policy and practice reviews, on the following themes –
• Ways to combat malnutrition challenge using biofortified crops
• Biofortified and climate-smart crops for better resilience and nutritional health
• Advanced methods to develop crops with bioavailable micronutrients
• Policy solutions to increase the cultivation of biofortified crops by small-holder farmers
• Breeding of crops aiming to enhance nutritional quality and bioavailability of nutrients
• Studies related to the bioavailability and bio-accessibility of nutrients in food products
Malnutrition is one of the greatest global health challenges, and every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition, namely the lack of access to staple foods or the so-called hidden hunger which is related to micronutrient deficiency. World hunger is on the rise and according to United Nations estimates, there are as many as 828 million people estimated to be affected by hunger, which is nearly 10% percent of people globally. From 2019 to 2022, the number of undernourished people grew by as many as 150 million, a crisis that is driven largely by conflict, climate change, and the coronavirus pandemic. To achieve the United Nations Program Sustainable Development Goal “to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”, a coordinated strategy is needed to enhance food production, and decrease malnutrition globally.
Over the past decade, there have been advances in agriculture biotechnology to generate nutritionally improved crops, and it is now possible to cultivate crops that are nutritionally enhanced. Combating malnutrition (in all its forms) and increasing worldwide food security, the development, and integration of new strategies to enhance the production and yield of these high-quality, nutritionally enhanced crops are needed. The development of crops with high bioavailable micronutrients is an effective approach to reduce malnutrition and increase overall human health, while the scale-up and consumption of these crops should be enhanced to successfully reduce world hunger.
This Research Topic will focus on examining how various techniques such as innovative breeding, and molecular and transgenic approaches can be applied to produce high-yielding and quality food crops with bioavailable micronutrients.
We welcome original research, systematic review, review articles, and policy and practice reviews, on the following themes –
• Ways to combat malnutrition challenge using biofortified crops
• Biofortified and climate-smart crops for better resilience and nutritional health
• Advanced methods to develop crops with bioavailable micronutrients
• Policy solutions to increase the cultivation of biofortified crops by small-holder farmers
• Breeding of crops aiming to enhance nutritional quality and bioavailability of nutrients
• Studies related to the bioavailability and bio-accessibility of nutrients in food products