Date of Award
12-2021
Major
Crop, Soil, and Environmental Management and Spanish
Faculty Advisor
Fakhoury, Ahmad
Abstract
Micronutrient malnutrition, also referred to as ‘hidden hunger’, negatively impacts the health of millions of people around the world. Because of this, several strategies to reduce malnutrition have been proposed, one of which is biofortification. The process of biofortification increases the nutrient content of plants during their vegetative life cycle. Research has been conducted that shows the ability of biofortification to increase micronutrient content in crops, so the next step is successful implementation and adoption by consumers. This paper reviews several publications that look at biofortification with respect to the environment, sustainability, human nutrition, culture, and ethics from a variety of places around the world. The ultimate goal is to determine if biofortification provides a sustainable solution to combat micronutrient deficiency. There are clear benefits of biofortification that demonstrate its potential for success, but there are still many barriers to be overcome for its successful application.
Comments
First, my success would not have been possible without the support of my family. Thank you for teaching me to find my passions and then pursue them to the best of my ability. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to Dr. Ahmad Fakhoury, Dr. Jason Bond, and the rest of the Plant Pathology Laboratory members for mentoring me. My undergraduate experience has been greatly enhanced by the opportunities they have provided. Finally, I would like to thank the University Honors Program for giving me the opportunity to write this thesis and for their investment in my education. I have gained valuable experience through the program that has largely impacted my education at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.