Table 1 Benefits of Biofortification

Agricultural (crop) ^{a, b, c, d, e}

1. Improved root penetration (deeper roots); increased uptake of nutrients; benefits for trace metal-deficient soils.

2. Greater Resource Efficiency: greater drought resistance, requiring less irrigation; requires less chemical fertilizer.

3. Feasibility of breeding for uptake of specific nutrients.

4. Improved disease resistance.

5. Higher yields.

Economic ^{a, b, c, f}

1. Cost-effective (one time investment).

2. Targets rural population; provides nutrient dense foods to rural areas, where fortified foods from urban areas are not accessible.

3. Complementary to standard interventions (supplementation and fortification).

Population ^a

1. Feasibile (no changes choice of staple crops).

2. No behavior changes required.

Program ^a

Sustainable (seeds are self-fortifying).

Sources

a. [9] b. [10] c. [19] d. [20] e. [21] f. [3]