Biofortification on the Rise in Brazil
January 6, 2012 |
Embrapa has released a video in conjunction with the 4th Annual Brazilian Biofortification Meeting which was co-sponsored by Embrapa (The Brazilian Agricultural Research) and Harvest Plus last July 2011 in Teresina, Brazil. The video is a compilation of interviews on how biofortification came to be implemented in Brazil. It highlights the progress made by Embrapa in efforts to increase the nutritional value of several crops in the past years.
One of the interviewees in the video is Ross M. Welch, a plant physiologist in USDA Agricultural Research Service. According to him, the concept of biofortification started in 1993 when Howdy Bouis, an economist from the Food Policy Research Institute came to his laboratory in Cornell University and asked if plants can fortify themselves. Welch then said, "Yes."
Eleven regional Embrapa offices are now involved in the BioFORT project, which is part of the Biofortification Network in Brazil started by HarvestPlus. According to a statement released by BioFORT, Brazil is the only country working to study and introduce eight biofortified crops at the same time. These crops are pumpkin, rice, sweet potatoes, beans, cowpeas, cassava, maize, and wheat.
The video is available at http://www.harvestplus.org/content/biofortification-gains-momentum-brazil.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Global News Analysis on Biotechnology
- New FAO Chief Vows Renewed Focus on Food Security
- Burundi Release Two New Rice Varieties for Better Lives
- Mozambique: Better Seeds for Better Crops
- USDA Deregulates Drought Tolerant Trait for Corn
- Mexico Approves Planting of GM Cotton Bollgard®II Flex
- USDA Announces Biotech Regulatory Actions
- Corn Defenses for Improved Pest Resistance
- Sunn Hemp Shows Promise as Biofuel Source
- Molecular Timer Modulates Branching Architecture in Tomato
- Boulder County Allows Planting of Biotech Corn and Sugarbeet
- Biofortification on the Rise in Brazil
- Communication Challenges in Crop Biotechnology
- China's MoA Issues 12th Five-year Plan (2011- 2015) on Agricultural S&T
- Chinese Ag Vice Minister Meets with International Experts
- OGTR Calls for Comments for Environmental Release of GM Wheat and Barley
- New Initiatives to Solve Herbicide Resistance
- EU Approves Three Biotech Corn Varieties
- S&T Committee to Seek Answers to Technology Commercialization
- Rothamsted Research Launches New Science Strategy
-
Research Highlights
- Assessment of Biotech Potato with Resistance to Potato Virus Y in Argentina
- Metabolic Engineering of Soybean Seed Coats
- Effects of Bt Rice on Soil Arthropod Folsomia candida
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Frogs Use Calls to Find Mates with Matching Chromosomes
-
Announcements
- Human Resource Development Program in Biotechnology
- Short Course on Plant Breeding for Drought Tolerance
- International Congress on Plant Molecular Biology
-
Resources
- GM Crop Risk-Benefit Debate
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (November 6, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (October 30, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet