At a village gathering in rural northern Uganda, Molly Ekwang walked her 15-month-old son to a spot under a shade tree where Howarth Bouis, the head of HarvestPlus, was sitting. The little boy climbed up on his lap.
Could someone take a photo?, the mother asked, so when her son is older she can tell him, “This is the man who made you smart and gave you a successful future.”
The mother is also a farmer, and she has joined a community effort to grow biofortified crops developed by HarvestPlus. Her orange flesh sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A and her beans have a higher iron content. It is a new initiative to reduce malnourishment by increasing the nutrient value of staple crops—the foods that are consumed daily. Good nutrition, especially during the 1,000 days from the beginning of a woman’s pregnancy to the second birthday of her child, is vital for proper physical and mental development of the child.
Molly Ekwang said she became pregnant at a time when she was first eating the sweet potatoes after the initial harvest. She believed those potatoes and the high-iron beans had fueled her son’s development; she noted he was walking and talking earlier than her other children. “He’s very bright,” she told Bouis.
In this video conversation, the second in a series of three videos, I speak with Bouis and Anna-Marie Ball, HarvestPlus Manager of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances for Africa, about a new generation of “biofortified babies.”
Watch Part I and Part III.
Nutritious Crops for Healthier Mothers & Children - Part II
Archive
Remembering the Post-9/11 Promises to Raise Foreign Aid
The 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is bringing back a rush of memories and emotions. Everyone it seems is recalling, with respect for the victims, where they were on that day when they heard or watched the horrific news.Coping with Drought
With drought devastating farms from the Horn of Africa to the Panhandle of Texas, I journeyed to one of the frontlines of climate change to “chew the news,” as the Maasai say.Harvest and Hunger – Part 2
At 6:30 this morning, as the sun was coming up, Sanet Biketi walked out of his small house made of mud and sticks. Carrying a machete at his side, he headed straight to the edge of his maize field and said a prayer of thanksgiving for the arrival of harvest day.Harvest and Hunger
Two scenes from the great African paradox of surplus and shortage – feast and famine – in the same country.Empty Promises, Empty Stomachs
The promises made by the leaders of the rich world in L’Aquila, Italy, two years ago were supposed to stop what is now happening in the Horn of Africa. But those pledges haven’t been kept, and starvation is raging once again.Rowing in the Same Direction
Vision. Strategy. Tactics.These were the priorities that emerged at my table during a discussion about the role of U.S. universities, government agencies, NGOs, foundations and the African diplomatic community in advancing African development.
Political Will
The Nigerian ambassador to the U.S., Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, tells an acerbic joke to illustrate the importance of good leadership.Countering Drought
This growing season in south-central Kenya has been a good test for the new drought tolerant maize varieties being bred in Africa. This is a semi-arid area, but this year they can drop the semi. Farmers report only three short periods of rain since the February planting time.Cool Beans
For some farmers in western Kenya, the hunger season I wrote about last week is coming to a mercifully early end. A new variety of bean is ready for harvest.The Hunger Season
The hunger season is especially cruel this year.Big Brains on Little Brains
Little brains were on the minds of some pretty big brains in the fight against hunger at the Chicago Council’s Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security this week.The Importance of Innovation
Bill Gates came to the Chicago Council’s Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security with a confession. “I’ve never been a farmer,” he said. “Until recently, I rarely set foot on farm.”Public Policy Matters
I enjoyed the great privilege of giving my first commencement speech on Sunday, to the graduating class of the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. I had eagerly anticipated the ceremony, knowing that the passion to shape a more just world inspires young policy makers as mightily as it fuels journalists.Something to Cut
With many words in this column, we have discussed what not to cut from the federal budget. Namely, administration requests to fund agriculture development, especially in Africa, under the Feed the Future initiative and the Global Agriculture Food Security Program.Yin and Yang of Foreign Aid
Here is the Yin and the Yang of development aid spending: In the U.S., it is on the chopping block, threatened by budget cutters sharpening their knives; in China it is on an expansion course, favored by a government seeking to accumulate influence and riches in the developing world, particularly Africa.Multimedia
Videos
Digital Preview of The First 1,000 Days
In his new book, The First 1,000 Days, Council senior fellow Roger Thurow illuminates the 1,000 Days initiative to end early childhood malnutrition through the compelling stories of new mothers in Uganda, India, Guatemala, and Chicago. Get a first-look at photos and stories from the book in this new web interactive.
Books
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