**6. Progress on biofortification**

As of 2018, worldwide 6.7 million farm households are producing biofortified crops and these products surely go into food dishes. Till now more than 300 varieties have been released in 30 countries for crops, such as rice, wheat, maize, cassava, orange sweet potato, potato, lentil, beans, cowpea, banana, and plantain [47]. Several institutions like 1. Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMG Foundation), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) must work together to populate biofortified crops and create an enabling environment. Recognition of biofortification among global regulatory agencies, a collaboration between agencies from various sectors, a more active role for private players, and designing new development policies and agendas that take into account the programs currently being implemented on the ground, among other things, are all components of such an environment. CGIAR will continue to employ its varied network of international organizations, research institutes, and civil society organizations around the world to drive a single, integrated conversation on standards and governance, and to provide society with the highest possible return on investment. Harvest Plus is one of them, and it is leading the biofortification project, which it will enable in the next years, with local governments acting as main partners [47].

*Agronomic Biofortification of Food Crops: A Sustainable Way to Boost Nutritional Security DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.103750*

### **7. Constraints in agronomic biofortification**

Enhancement of crop qualities through agronomic biofortification has the following challenges:


### **8. Future prospects**

The public sector institutions must give intensive efforts and make policy for promotional campaigns that can significantly increase the acceptance of agronomic practices for biofortification. Providing the micronutrient fertilizers and other bio-inoculants like PGPR, AMF, cyanobacteria can cause the rapid spreading of these agronomic practices. Assured premium remunerative prices for the biofortified products in the market encourage farmers to grow more biofortified foods. Active investment of extension activities would create awareness among farmers' industries and consumers regarding the availability and benefits of these biofortified crops (**Figure 6**).

Some essential steps should be required for the popularization of biofortified crops. These are:

**Figure 6.** *Percentage of biofortified crops by agronomic means [48].*

## **8.1 Awareness generation**

Incomplete knowledge of the health benefits of biofortified crops is the major reason for slow adoption. Some demonstration trials should be conducted in the farmer's field and make sure that farmers would actively participate in this program. Lack of yield compared to conventional practices is also another reason for slow adoption but if farmers get premium prices, they do not lose their interest in this. Strong linkages should be constructed with Agro-processing industries that provide confidence to farmers. Strong promotional extension activities such as field demonstration, conveying a message through TV talk, radio shows and live drama would make the farmers, industry, and consumers aware of the existence and benefits of biofortified crops.

### **8.2 Policy support**

Strengthening input supply is a major step towards the popularization of Biofortified crops. Providing subsidized micronutrient fertilizer, bio-inoculants, or microorganisms, receiving to provide remunerative prices for biofortified grains in the market will encourage farmers. Recently, unveiled National Nutrition Strategy—2017 by NITI Aayog, the Government of India envisages the alleviation of malnutrition in the country through food-based solutions [49].

Inclusion of this biofortified cereal indifferent government-sponsored programs such as National Food Security Mission, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna as well as nutrition intervention program such as Integrated Child Development Services scheme, 'Mid-day meal' and Nutrition Education and Training through Community Food and Nutrition Extension Units would help in providing the much-needed balanced food to poor people. Recently, the Government of India announced the millets like (sorghum, pearl millet, foxtail millet, finger millet, Kodo millet, proso millet, little millet, and barnyard millet), besides two pseudo millets (buck-wheat and amaranthus) as 'Nutri Cereals' which have high nutritive values. This would increase their demand in both the regional and Challenges to reach billion people by 2030 worldwide markets, allowing farmers to command better prices. Incorporating biofortified items into these government-sponsored programs would assist youngsters,

*Agronomic Biofortification of Food Crops: A Sustainable Way to Boost Nutritional Security DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.103750*

pregnant women, and the elderly, as well as speed up their distribution. Given the well-documented health benefits of QPM, Ethiopia's government has set a goal of cultivating QPM varieties on 20% of the country's total maize land in the future years [50]. As a result, significant government policy support would improve the uptake and acceptance of biofortified crops (**Figures 7** and **8**).

#### **Figure 7.**

*Conceptual diagram on future prospects of agronomic biofortification.*

### **8.3 Research interventions**

Most nutritional characteristics like (protein, lysine, tryptophan, iron, zinc, and Vitamin c) are invisible. So, it is difficult to convince farmers and Consumers regarding the quality of the product. Large-scale trials should be needed by a public institution that could help in generating more data and thus help in the dissemination of fortified crops research should be needed on nano-fertilizers that have the potential for effective management of nutrients till now biofortification is restricted to some crops show there is a need to bring more crops under these practices.
