Family Farming Knowledge Platform

Smallholder farming and crop variety choice

Wheat variety choice in Pakistan

Zinc is an important nutrient for human health, especially for the growth of children (Caulfield and Black 2004). In 2011 Pakistan’s National Nutrition Survey found that zinc deficiency is high (47 percent) among children under-five years of age and women of child-bearing age. Nearly 42 percent of non-pregnant women, 48 percent of pregnant women, and 37 percent of children are estimated to be zinc deficient. One promising strategy for increasing these populations’ zinc intake is through biofortification of their most commonly consumed staple crop, wheat, with zinc. According to the biofortification prioritization index (BPI), Pakistan ranks fifth among developing countries as a suitable target for high-zinc wheat biofortification (AsareMarfo et al. 2013). HarvestPlus and its partners are using conventional breeding methods to develop wheat varieties that are rich in zinc. These varieties, expected to be officially released in 2015, should provide 60 percent of daily zinc needs for women and children, 20 percent more than commonly grown varieties, and will offer other desirable traits such as high yields and disease resistance. The delivery and marketing activities for these varieties will start once the varieties are released. In order to help inform effective and targeted delivery and marketing plans, and to later monitor adoption trends, HarvestPlus and its partners conducted a varietal adoption study in 2011, which involved a survey of farm households in Punjab and examined current trends in wheat cultivation and consumption. This paper summarizes the key findings of that study and makes recommendations for delivery and marketing of highzinc wheat varieties to achieve maximum adoption and consumption impact among the most vulnerable populations.

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Publisher: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
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Author: Hina Nazli
Other authors: Dorene Asare-Marfo, Melinda Smale, Sohail Jehangir Malik, Ekin Birol
Organization: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
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Year: 2014
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Country/ies: Pakistan
Geographical coverage: Asia and the Pacific
Type: Report
Content language: English
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