In an IHBI laboratory, a project is underway that will
profoundly effect the nutrition of Ugandans and their
African neighbours.
IHBI researchers are planning to improve the nutrient
content of bananas, the staple diet of the Ugandan people.
Unlike the bananas we eat in Australia, the East African highland banana is low in nutrients, especially iron, iodine and Vitamin A.
Each Ugandan eats around one kilogram of these
low-nutrient bananas every day. As a result, nearly half the
children under the age of five have iron-deficient anaemia and many children suffer from night blindness due to
Vitamin A deficiency.
Meanwhile, thirty percent of maternal deaths in childbirth are due to iron deficiency.
Rather than encouraging Ugandans to grow a
different staple food, boosting the nutritional value of their
existing banana crop is an initiative that could make a
major difference to the health of the entire population.
IHBI’s bio-fortification research offers a practical
and sustainable alternative to food aid. The value of this
research was recognised recently with a grant from the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is dedicated
to bringing innovation in health and learning to the global
community.
This research is part of the Tropical Crops and Biocommodities Domain
hunger, malnutrition, disease, vitamin deficiency, poverty...
In Queensland’s ideal tropical climate, IHBI researchers are working to improve global health
by making sure traditional tropical crops have high nutritional value.
IHBI researchers are also investigating the possibility that plants can provide medical
proteins, biomaterials and biofuels, and discovering ways to increase resistance to disease
in tropical crops.
Through collaboration, our research extends across the world to Uganda, South Africa,
Vietnam, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, the South Pacific and the USA.
At IHBI, our focus is on finding practical ways to make better global health a reality. |
