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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #62166
Title: AGRONOMIC PROBLEMS: BREEDING AND CULTURAL TECHNIQUES

Author
item Welch, Ross

Submitted to: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Not required.

Technical Abstract: OBJECTIVES-Review how agricultural systems might be changed to increase the vitamin A density of diets in developing countries to provide sustainable solutions to vitamin A deficiency globally. DESIGN-Develop agricultural systems that not only assure calorie adequacy for people, but also address vitamin A density in diets. SETTINGS-Agricultural systems could be modified din some developing nations in ways that would provide adequate dietary amounts of pro-vitamin A carotenoids from plant food sources. SUBJECTS- Infants & children of low-income families are most at risk of developing vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. INTERVENTION-Cropping systems could be modified to include more vegetable & fruit crops containing higher bioavailable amounts of provitamin A carotenoids in some countries. Addi- tionally, cultural practices could be modified through education, agricul- tural extension and/or social marketing to insure that the bioavailable pro-vitamin A carotenoid levels in food crops are optimized. Staple food crops could be improved as sources of pro-vitamin A carotenoids by tradi- tional plant breeding and/or by genetic engineering efforts. RESULTS- Currently, many techniques are available to increase the vitamin A content of diets through sustainable food-based system solutions to vitamin A defi- ciency globally. CONCLUSIONS-The world community should strive to find food-based system approaches to eliminating vitamin A deficiency. Modifying agricultural systems in ways that will not only maximizing food production, but also insure nutritional adequacy of vitamin A is a desirable goal for many developing countries. SPONSORSHIP-Food Systems for Health Program, College of Agr. & Life Sciences, Cornell Univ. in cooperation with the U.S.D.A., Agr. Res. Svc, U.S. Plant, Soil & Nutr. Lab., Ithaca, NY 14853.