Plant nutrients are essential for the alleviation of chronic and hidden hunger

To function properly and effectively, the human body requires several amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. These essential nutrients are obtained directly from plants or indirectly from animals which consume plants. Therefore, the nutrition of humankind depends on providing plants with nutrients, so they grow optimally and produce nutrient-rich crops.

Nearly 10% of the world’s population suffers from chronic hunger, the persistent inability to access enough food to eat. At the same time, 25% face ‘hidden hunger’ caused by a deficiency of mineral micronutrients or vitamins in their diets. This means that nutritious and healthy diets are out of reach for about three billion people.

Chronic hunger as a global challenge

In this Issue Brief, we outline the dual role that mineral elements play in plant and human health through consuming healthy and nutritious diets. We outline how plant nutrition and fertilizer strategy can alleviate these global challenges.

Plant nutrients have saved billions from starvation but chronic hunger remains

Plant nutrition plays a major role in human nutrition and economic development as crop productivity gains directly depend on fertilizer use. Mineral fertilizers have increased crop yields throughout much of the world; hence feeding about half of the world’s population.

Yet, huge regional differences exist. Of particular concern is the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, where chronic hunger and malnutrition persist in large parts because access to and use of fertilizers is severely constrained.

Similarly, the 2021 food crisis in Sri Lanka is a stark reminder of how responsible plant nutrition underpins food security. When in May 2021, the government of Sri Lanka banned the import of inorganic fertilizers and agrochemicals, the availability of organic fertilizers nationally was inadequate. As nutrients could not be replaced, yields of crops declined severely, resulting in a shortage of food production.

Hidden hunger due to the insufficient supply of mineral micronutrients in foods is a global issue

Hidden hunger is the dietary deficiency of vitamins or mineral micronutrients which are essential for human health. In many cases, hidden hunger is the result of an energy-dense, but nutrient-poor diet. While the intake of sufficient amounts of energy in the form of calories is given, the intake of required nutrients is insufficient.

More than 2 billion people globally are affected by various forms of hidden hunger. Particularly in low- and middle-income countries, diets lack diversity and choices are limited due to poverty.

Yet, micronutrient deficiencies are also major problems in high-income countries. For example, low dietary intake of several micronutrients is increasingly reported in European populations resulting in elevated risks of developing certain micronutrient deficiencies.

Low nutrient levels in crops and the lack of diversity in food systems are the primary causes of hidden hunger

Plants are major dietary sources of macro- and micronutrients as plant-based foods provide about 80% of calories, 56% of proteins, 50 – 95% of vitamins, and 40 – 85% of minerals. Challenges arise as plants with low nutrient contents result in foods of low nutritional value and limited diversity of diet – the main causes of hidden hunger.

For example, cereals and tubers are staple foods for most populations in low-income countries; however, they have relatively low concentrations of Fe, Zn, and vitamins. Additionally, polishing or milling cereals into white rice or white flour further decreases nutrient concentrations.

Crop breeding improved the yields of major cereal crops around the world. Yet, mineral nutrient concentrations of cereal crops have declined due to nutrient dilution, narrower crop genetics, and/or soil nutrient depletion. Furthermore, climate change is likely to worsen the micronutrient deficiency problem because increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2 negatively impacts nutrient concentrations in crops.

Solutions and actions to alleviate chronic hunger

As diets based only on cereals do not provide the required amounts of micronutrients, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and some animal products need to be included. Yet, this requires the food system to transform and focus on strategies to improve primary crop production.

Raise awareness of the critical of responsible plant nutrition in alleviating hunger

Responsible plant nutrition is a prerequisite for sustainable intensification, regenerative agriculture and human nutrition and health. Countries should develop national nutrient roadmap that consider specific needs and set clear targets for nutrient use from different sources. These roadmaps should be based on scientific evidence for advancing responsible nutrient use through associated technologies, policies, and investments and addressing hidden hunger issues.

Improve targeting of crop-specific nutrient delivery

To overcome chronic and hidden hunger through crop-based interventions requires insights, such as specific soil conditions, crop requirements and human requirements. For this, digital technologies, novel analytical technologies, modelling, and artificial intelligence can help mapping, predicting, and targeting plant and human nutrient deficiencies and guide the development of tailored fertilizer blends.

Develop sustainable strategies for nutrient delivery through agro-biofortification

Agronomic biofortification is both a means to optimize crop productivity and economic profit and to produce nutrient-dense food. Especially in regions with soil nutrient deficiencies, fertilizers represent a sustainable strategy, while their rapid scaling is often inhibited. Where fertilizer fortification benefits both crop yield and human nutrition, adoption may be mainly driven by farm-level economics, agri-business, access to the right fertilizer, and good agronomic advisory.

Diversify cropping systems and genetically enrich crop varieties

Diets that include pulses, vegetables, and fruits, in addition to staple crops, provide more micronutrients and vitamins than those based largely on cereal crops. Hence, broadening the diversity of cropping systems by growing more nutritious crops is generally desirable but requires suitable environmental conditions and markets. To achieve this, transgenic approaches, such as gene editing, are powerful technologies to enrich crops with micronutrients and vitamins.

Who needs to take action to alleviate chronic hunger

• Educators, journalists, communicators, and influencers: raise awareness of the importance of plant nutrition for human nutrition, problems of chronic and hidden hunger and the need to provide nutrients to improve plant productivity and food quality
• Policymakers: monitor and assess the nutritional status of the population, implement cost-effective strategies to address hunger and facilitate the development of sustainable fertilizer policies
• Fertilizer industry: develop, produce, and distribute cost-effective fertilizer products to enhance productivity and address hunger
• Farmers, extensionists, farm advisers, and service providers: educate growers on enhancing crop productivity and food quality without causing environmental harm
• Consumers: diversify diets for better and more balanced nutrition and reduce food waste
• Food industry: create more nutrient-enriched foods and reward farmers for producing it
• Investors: invest in developing nutrition-sensitive fertilizer markets
• Scientists: develop more cost-effective and scalable methods to assess the nutrient status of plants and soil and improve nutrient use efficiency. Produce crop varieties with increased yields and enriched in micronutrients and vitamins.
• Civil society organizations: support the development and distribution of plant nutrient products and educate the population on the critical role of plant nutrition