RE: [pronut-hiv] biofortification, GMO and HIV (1)

["Stephanie White" <whitegomis@earthlink.net>]

Hello,
I'm glad that this is generating such thoughtful discussion.  I wanted to
re-state the issue that Rachel Stern brought up in an earlier post....that
if  "inadequate protein/calories is the problem, then biofortification
won't work."  I know that biofortification provides the promise of
something hopeful for a lot of people, and that people have a lot invested
emotionally and in terms of resources.  But, I wonder about this
issue...What situations, specifically, is biofortification seeking to
address?  Are resources being devoted to biofortification at the expense of
being able to devise strategies to address those situations where just
getting enough calories is the problem?  And, overall, what are the main
problems as it relates to nutrition?  And in terms of those dealing with
HIV and AIDS (or even more broadly, if you wish), are we looking mainly at
situations where there are specific nutrient deficiencies, or is the main
issue that of calorie or protein deficiency?  I'm just not sure that I've
seen the issue well stated, and what exactly biofortification is trying to
do, and who it can help.  And, how does biofortification (since we know
there are no silver bullet solutions) fit into a broader food and nutrition
security strategy?

Thanks, Stephanie White


---- Canahuati, Judy wrote:
>  
>
> 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
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>