HarvestPlus
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| HarvestPlus | |
|---|---|
| Name | HarvestPlus |
| Formation | 2003 |
| Type | International research initiative |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Leader title | Director |
| Leader name | Howarth Bouis |
| Parent organization | CGIAR |
HarvestPlus HarvestPlus is an international research initiative focused on breeding and promoting micronutrient-rich food crops through biofortification. Founded within the context of global agricultural research, it collaborates with plant breeders, nutritionists, policy makers, and development agencies to address micronutrient deficiencies in low- and middle-income countries. The program operates through regional hubs and research centers linked with major scientific and funding institutions.
History
HarvestPlus emerged in 2003 as part of a cluster of initiatives associated with CGIAR reform and the launch of targeted agricultural research programs such as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research initiatives. Early efforts built on nutrition science from institutions like the International Food Policy Research Institute and plant breeding traditions at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and the International Rice Research Institute. Foundational leadership included collaboration with scholars from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and proponents from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation strategy discussions. Major milestones include the development of iron-rich bean varieties in collaboration with the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical and zinc-biofortified wheat trials involving teams at the National Agricultural Research Systems of India and Pakistan. HarvestPlus engaged in country-level scaling with partners such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization, and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, while coordinating with policy fora like the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement and the World Health Organization technical networks.
Mission and Objectives
HarvestPlus articulates objectives aligned with international targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals and global nutrition targets endorsed at the World Health Assembly. Its mission emphasizes breeding staple crops to increase concentrations of micronutrients such as provitamin A, iron, and zinc, working alongside agricultural research centers like the International Potato Center and the CIMMYT network. Program objectives include rigorous efficacy research overseen with academic partners such as the University of California, Davis, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and policy engagement with institutions including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund. HarvestPlus frames its work within frameworks advanced by the Codex Alimentarius and standards discussed at the World Trade Organization when engaging seed systems and regulatory pathways.
Research and Biofortification Programs
Scientific programs combined classical breeding at centers like the International Center for Tropical Agriculture with molecular screening methods developed at the Generation Challenge Programme and genotyping platforms used in collaborations with ICRISAT. Crop pipelines included provitamin A orange sweet potato trials linked to the International Potato Center and iron-rich pearl millet developed with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. Zinc-enriched wheat and rice breeding advanced through partnerships with national programs in China, India, and Pakistan, and varietal release required coordination with agencies such as the National Seed Association and national varietal release committees. Nutrition efficacy studies were run as randomized controlled trials in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the University of California, Berkeley, and clinical units at the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Indian Council of Medical Research. Monitoring and evaluation drew on metrics from the Demographic and Health Surveys and biochemical assays standardized by laboratories at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Partnerships and Funding
HarvestPlus has convened a wide network of partners: international research centers within the CGIAR system, national agricultural research systems such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, non-governmental organizations including CARE International and World Vision International, and bilateral donors like USAID and Global Affairs Canada. Major philanthropic funders included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, while multilateral support came from the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Academic partnerships involved Cornell University, Michigan State University, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Seed companies, seed systems actors, and regulatory authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority were engaged for varietal release and commercialization pathways. HarvestPlus also worked with procurement agencies like the WFP for inclusion of biofortified crops in food assistance programs.
Impact and Outcomes
Reported outcomes included release of biofortified varieties across countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America with crop-specific examples involving orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties disseminated through collaborations with the International Potato Center and iron-biofortified beans scaled via partnerships with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. Impact assessments drew on data sources like the Demographic and Health Surveys and program evaluations by the World Bank and academic groups at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Nutrition outcomes from randomized trials and program evaluations were published in journals associated with the American Society for Nutrition and presented at forums including the World Nutrition Congress. Scaling successes were reported in countries such as Uganda, Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh, with integration into national strategies formulated by ministries in coordination with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the WHO.
Criticism and Challenges
Critiques addressed by scholars from institutions like the University of Oxford, University of Manchester, and the International Food Policy Research Institute included concerns about adoption barriers related to seed systems, market incentives analyzed with reference to World Bank studies, and the complexity of measuring long-term nutritional impacts across diverse meta-analyses cited by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Other challenges involved regulatory harmonization debated in contexts such as the Codex Alimentarius committees, intellectual property questions raised in policy discussions involving the World Trade Organization, and coordination with private sector actors including multinational seed firms. Implementation obstacles noted by field partners such as the Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute included capacity constraints, varietal preference dynamics documented by researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute, and funding sustainability concerns highlighted by donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.