title: Potential impact and cost-effectiveness of multi-biofortified rice in China.
abstract: Biofortification, that is, improving the micronutrient content of staple foods through crop breeding, could be a pro-poor, pro-rural, agriculture-based intervention to reduce the health burden of micronutrient malnutrition. While the potential cost-effectiveness of crops biofortified with single micronutrients was shown in previous research, poor people often suffer from multiple micronutrient deficiencies, which should be accounted for in biofortification initiatives. This study is the first to estimate the potential health benefits and cost-effectiveness of multi-biofortification. Rice with enhanced provitamin A, zinc, iron and folate concentrations is used as a concrete example. The research is conducted for China, the largest rice producer in the world, where micronutrient malnutrition remains a major public health problem. Using the DALY (disability-adjusted life year) framework, the current annual health burden of the four micronutrient deficiencies in China is estimated at 10.6 million DALYs. Introducing multi-biofortified rice could lower this burden by up to 46%. Given the large positive health impact and low recurrent costs of multi-biofortification, this intervention could be very cost effective: under optimistic assumptions, the cost per DALY saved would be around US$ 2; it would stay below US$ 10 even under pessimistic assumptions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Hans.DeSteur@UGent.be
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: De Steur
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gellynck
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blancquaert
authors.forename: Willy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Van Der Straeten
authors.forename: Matin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qaim
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000172:deficiency / Q000191:economics*; D012275:Oryza / Q000191:economics*
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients