[pronut-hiv] biofortification, GMO and HIV

["Canahuati, Judy(DCHA/FFP/PTD)" <jcanahuati@usaid.gov>]

The discussion that Fuad Hassan has stimulated has been quite
interesting.  I'm not quite sure whether the following observations will
"enrich" or "muddy" the waters more.


As I've tried to conceptualize the differences between biofortification
and GMO, it seems to me that biofortification is really traditional
plant breeding. This has gone on since humans first began observing that
plants differed in some ways from each other (either higher yielding,
easier to sow, more disease resistant, or whatever characteristics they
may have had) and began carrying out the experimentation that eventually
led to agriculture and the many varieties of plants that we had up until
GMOs entered the scene (and will continue to have).  I think
biofortification builds on these tried and true principles, looking for
varieties of plants that enhance nutrient absorption from the soil and
then conserving and multiplying the seeds of these varieties in the
usual way that farmers have been doing for thousands of years.  Harvest
Plus published an article on biofortification of staple foods in the
Journal of Nutrition for a symposium on food fortification in developing
countries that may help in understanding. The define biofortification
as: "enriching the nutrition contribution of staple crops through plant
breeding" http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/136/4/1064
 

In general I think that biofortified seeds are public and are freely
available and farmers can make their own seed banks, and pretty much
carry on farming as they have in the past. 


GMO may or may not have a nutrient enhancement function, but more often
than not it has a more commercial function, such as increasing disease
resistance, but that disease resistance is not increased through the
"normal" plant breeding mechanisms but by the insertion of some gene
that is not usually found in a particular plant, such as the insertion
of a disease resistant flower into a fruit, or something similar.  In
spite of all the controversy around this issue, there is not evidence
that this has produced harm to us.  Probably a greater concern for
developing countries is the issue of access, as GMO seeds tend to be
private goods whose ownership lies with the companies that developed
them and are probably engineered in such a way as to be difficult to
save seed and reseed, so that every time they plant, they need to buy
fresh seed.  Some of this disadvantage may be offset by some of the
advantages of GMO seed (ie more disease or pest resistant, more drought
tolerant, etc.) but there is still a lot of controversy here.

 
However, for Somalia, what is probably at least equally important as the
origin of the seed (biofortification does have some market advantage,
for example orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, the classic example, do seem
to bring better market prices than ordinary sweet potatoes) is the type
of farming that would be recommended.  Will it be what we call
"conventional" farming, using commercial fertilizers and pesticides,
tilling soil and leaving it exposed to sun and rain, mono-cropping, all
of which will only further deplete the soil, or will it be the best of
what we have learned about soil regeneration and maintenance of healthy
soil, particularly in the tropics? 

 
The farming techniques may be critical for both Somali farmers as well
as for HIV affected.  Certainly there seem to be some agro techniques,
sometimes called "conservation agriculture", sometimes called
"regenerative agriculture"  even "permaculture" that are best practices
for both restoring soil nutrients, health and water carrying capacity
(very important to all farmers) and allowing for fewer inputs in terms
of labor and cost (such as composting, mulching, no till, alley
cropping, biological pest management, rotation, using indigenous drought
resistant crops, water harvesting, etc.).  
 

I think that Stacia put together much of this information in two
publications that have come out recently.  One called Low Input Food and
Nutritional Security: Growing and Eating More Using Less (December,
2005) and Growing Positively.   The former book was one those of us who
had the opportunity to attend the Lusaka forum on Food Security and HIV
learned about.   I've tried to find the latter on the web, but so far
have drawn a blank.


Stacia, are these available on the web for downloading?


Fuad, there is a little book that I have found quite handy for providing
a conceptual framework around restoring soil health which is probably
more the challenge Somalia faces.  I first read about it in Ethiopia in
2002 in a newspaper article written by an Ethiopian who observed that
it's principles were what was called for in Ethiopia, rather than food
aid.  The book is called SAVE THREE LIVES: A Plan for Famine Prevention.
It was written by Robert Rodale in 1989 and published by Sierra Club.
Although it doesn't have the detailed instructions on how to implement
low input gardening, it certainly provides much of the basic reasoning
behind why these agricultural practices are best practices not only in
Africa, but everywhere.  The specific information comes mostly from the
African context, but the broad principles are pretty widely applicable
and build upon research that Albert Howard carried out in India before
WWII.  It is using these principles + biofortified seeds, + nutrition
education to assist people in broadening their dietary diversity to
include more nutrient rich and micronutrient rich foods that we may be
able to make some progress in improving food availability and
nutritional status at household level in general. 

At the same time I've observed, read and listened, the principles in
this little book and the practical applications that Stacia has
collected in her two books seem to be quite applicable for HIV
infected/affected as well, probably along with other traditional
practices such as labor sharing groups.


Best,


Judy

Judy Canahuati

MCHN& HIV Advisor

USAID/FFP/PTD

Room 7.06.100 RRB

Telephone: 202-712-5737; Fax :202-216-3039

-------fuad.hassan@fsausomali.org wrote:  

 Biofortification Method


However I want to apply to our Somali farmers so I need help from you

about the techniques of how to be fortifying the crops/seeds, what is

expecting to do during the plantation process including the availability

of fortified seeds and ways or strategies of implementations

 

I live in Northern Somalia particularly Togdheer region (Burao

district) and I am nutritionist that why I am involving about this issue


I will look forward to hear from soon
 

Fuad Hassan Mohamed

Nutritionist Togdheer region

Burao

Northern Somalia