Bob Ziegler, DG of IRRI, explains why the world needs biofortified staples:
Take the example of rice, the staple food for more than half of the world’s population – including more than half a billion of the world’s poorest in Asia. These people often eat rice and little else. While rice is an excellent food, it does not have all the vitamins and minerals a person needs – so many of these people don‘t get enough essential nutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin A.
A diverse and nutritious diet is the best option, sadly however, this is often too expensive or simply unavailable.
Simple, eh?
Yes, it is simple. Why would biofortified rice be a bad idea, if indeed there are people who “eat rice and little else” and have no access to diverse diets? I have seen such people, and we cannot always wait for the diet diversity gospel to reach them. Diversity of approaches is what is needed, not orthodoxy.