Cultivating nutrition: Fortified crops and good nutrition in the first 1,000 days | Devex

Cultivating nutrition: Fortified crops and good nutrition in the first 1,000 days | Devex: "Biofortification has opened up a new front in the assault on hidden hunger — a lack of micronutrients that isn’t as visible as chronic hunger but is just as devastating. While more than 800 million people worldwide are chronically hungry, more than twice as many people are estimated to be micronutrient-deficient, lacking the vitamins and minerals (though they may be getting enough calories) necessary to grow, learn and earn.



 Micronutrients are especially important during the 1,000 days from a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday. The effects of poor nutrition in this time can be irreversible and last a lifetime. Malnutrition during the 1,000 days leads to stunted physical and mental growth: adults who were undernourished as children are more likely to contract chronic diseases, and earn an average of 20 percent less in the labor market than adults who were not. Malnutrition is responsible for nearly half of all deaths of children under 5 — about 3 million deaths each year."



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