By Kanayo Nwanze
AFRICA'S Hunger problem is far deeper than the immediate lack of food.
When global TV cameras shift from images of starving children with distended
bellies, Africa's real challenge of malnutrition begins. A recent study by
Africa Harvest confirmed that for most Africans, access to food is more
important than the quality or nature of food.
No wonder 386 agricultural research activities in 26 African countries
focus on basic research, such as micro-propagation to increase seedlings.
There is, indeed, urgent need to deliver food to those who need it most.

However, Africa's agricultural research must extend itself to answer
questions related to disease resistance as well as environmental (or
drought) tolerance, while still focusing on increasing yields.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's funding for the nutritional
enhancement of three major African crops - sorghum, cassava and banana -
confirms the need for an immediate rethink on the question of research in
Africa.

Africa's immediate challenge is poor agricultural yields. It is the
biggest threat to food security. Public and private agricultural research
activities are focused on this issue. What are the challenges that
agricultural research faces? How do we bring about a balance between
"quantity" and "quality"?

Last year, the Africa Nutritional Epidemiology Conference sounded the
alarm, saying, Africa was facing the double-burden of communicable and
non-communicable diseases. Lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension
and cardiac arrests - thought to be diseases of the West - are on the rise
on the continent.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicated that unhealthy diet
is one of the global risk factors escalating non-communicable diseases.

Diets have changed leading to saturated fats, high-starch, low-fibre
over- processed foods taking over in urban areas, and increasingly, in
peri-urban and rural areas. Yet the agricultural industry and research are
not adequately responding to this challenge.

In the US and Europe, leading crop science companies are investing
heavily in producing crops that are healthier and more nutritious.


Many companies have voluntary codes in which they commit not only to
maintaining nutritional standards, but to promoting nutritional education to
consumers.

Although obesity is not considered a serious problem in Africa,
malnutrition is. Investing in better quality food crops will help combat
several malnutrition-related diseases, improve infant and child mortality
statistics, improve education performance, and give HIV and AIDS sufferers a
chance to lead a healthier life.

The Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) project, for example, seeks to
develop a more nutritious and easily digestible sorghum that contains
increased levels of essential amino acids, especially lysine, increased
levels of Vitamins A and E, and more iron and zinc.

This new technology, together with advances made in conventional
technologies of plant breeding, make it accessible to many other food crops
where both agronomic and nutritional traits can be combined in one plant
variety.

Both quality and quantity improvements in food crops help provide a
secure base to tackle hunger, poverty and malnutrition. The agri-research
community has the responsibility of ensuring we develop food crops as tools
to feed and improve people's health in the continent.

Dr Nwanze is chairman of the Board, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation
International. He is also vice-president of the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD).


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