About HarvestPlus

HarvestPlus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting biofortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals and providing global leadership on biofortification evidence and technology. HarvestPlus is based at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and collaborates with multiple CGIAR centers and partner organizations. HarvestPlus is part of the Innovation, Policy, and Scaling Unit at IFPRI.

Our Vision

HarvestPlus seeks to reduce hidden hunger and provide micronutrients to billions of people directly through the staple foods that they eat. HarvestPlus focuses on three critical micronutrients that are recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as most limiting in diets: iron, zinc, and vitamin A. We use a novel process called biofortification to breed higher levels of those micronutrients directly into key staple foods. These are cassava, maize, and orange sweet potato that provide more provitamin A that the body converts into vitamin A; beans and pearl millet that provide more iron; and rice and wheat that provide more zinc. HarvestPlus continues to reach millions of people at risk of suffering from micronutrient malnutrition who will have mitigated such risk by eating new biofortified crop varieties.

For more information on HarvestPlus, please visit our website. A comprehensive list of journal articles on crop development, nutrition, consumer acceptance, cost-effectiveness, and crop delivery experiences can be found in the Knowledge Center section on the website.

Brief Description of the Proposed Project

Background

HarvestPlus leads and coordinates a global effort to improve nutrition and overcome micronutrient deficiencies through the development and distribution of biofortified foods. Biofortification is a cost-effective, food-based intervention for improving nutrition of smallholder farmers and consumers of staple crops. Numerous studies have shown that biofortified crops are efficacious in improving health and functional outcomes and reducing micronutrient deficiencies in women and children.

Although these nutritious staples were originally targeted to address only undernutrition in vulnerable populations, recent evidence suggest that the nutrients provided in these staples may also address the ‘double burden’ of malnutrition, specifically nutrition related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There is evidence that suggest zinc supplementation may influence risk factors for certain NCDs.

This study will 1) update estimates for micronutrient-related burden in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to vitamin A, iron and zinc deficiency across various countries using the respective Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) pathways from each nutrient deficiency to adverse outcomes of public health importance, and 2) estimate the potential cost-effectiveness of scaling up biofortification for various country-crop biofortification programs under different feasible scenarios. For zinc, total DALY burden will be comprised of both the deficiency and NCD related disease burden, and the related work included in this RFP is to integrate inadequate zinc intake with both NCD-related (high fasting blood glucose, HFBG) and non-NCD related outcomes (diarrhea morbidity and mortality).

The Research Project

In order to provide updated guidance to plant breeders and policy makers, HarvestPlus is requesting 1) assistance in reviewing existing evidence on the effects of inadequate iron and vitamin A intakes on nutritional and health status; 2) to revise or update the existing excel-based models to estimate the burden of disease (DALYs) in terms of their alignment with IHME impact pathways and WHO guidelines for ex ante impact assessment; and 3) to calculate the potential cost-effectiveness of biofortification as public health nutrition intervention (cost per DALY averted).

Although we seek global and UN regional estimates of these parameters, countries of focus include Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda, DR Congo. At least one country should be prioritized per nutrient-specific model (e.g., Pakistan for Zinc wheat; India or Indonesia for zinc rice; Rwanda or Guatemala for iron beans; Nigeria, Malawi or Zimbabwe for provitamin A maize, etc.).

Methodologically, it is preferred to tackle the tasks associated with this research and development RFP by building on recent collaborative impact and cost-effectiveness modeling carried out for Zinc at HarvestPlus, followed by and for provitamin A sweet potato and iron potato at the International Potato Center (CIP).

The outcomes produced by the grantee will address the following components and will be presented in a final report:

• Summarize the evidence on micronutrient inadequacy/deficiency and adverse health outcomes of public health importance: this should be limited to systematic reviews and meta-analyses of food-based and medicinal intervention trials available on iron, vitamin A and zinc intakes/deficiencies and their consequences for human health and development. The summary review should provide a strong evidence base on the pathways and mechanisms linking micronutrient intake and status with the risk factors for the main disability-causing outcomes attributable to micronutrient deficiency disorders (communicable and non-communicable). A state-of-the-art statement on the current burden of disease (BD) models for zinc, iron and vitamin A deficiency is also requested as part of the evidence review. The evidence review should focus on recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses and circumscribe its reach for each nutrient within current IHME and WHO/Cochrane impact evidence bases (i.e. single randomized intervention trial publications should not be considered unless the information used in WHO and IHME models is factually outdated for a given nutrient).
• Revised and updated ex ante impact model for zinc inadequate intake and burden of disease (DALYs). This model shall integrate estimates of NCD and non-NCD burden attributable to zinc deficiency.
• IHME validated DALY estimates of the burden of disease for adverse outcomes of public health importance attributable to inadequate iron intake, iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia. This revised model shall be in alignment with the most recent WHO and IHME guidelines.
• IHME validated DALY estimates of the burden of disease for adverse outcomes of public health importance attributable to inadequate vitamin A intake and vitamin A deficiency.
• Cost-effectiveness analysis report

Required Elements of the Research Proposal

Scope of Work
The applicant should provide details on the background of the problem, literature review plan, process for development of IHME validated DALY model and data, and outline of research report. Provide justification and supporting evidence for the methods selected.

Timeline
Project timelines and milestones will be identified clearly in the proposal submitted by the applicant. The project work should be completed within 4 months of the awarding of the contract. Contributions to publication of results in a high-impact, peer-reviewed journal may occur thereafter. The collaborator may be requested to participate in a two-hour HarvestPlus organized expert consultation on zinc research and non-communicable disease during September.

Budget
The funding available for this work is up to USD 30,000 (including overhead).

Research Group Qualifications
Statement of experience and expertise (include a description of the relevant public health economics and impact modeling experience with supporting documents). The CVs of the applicant and research assistant/analyst shall be submitted with the expression of interest. The CVs should clearly illustrate the researchers’ qualifications, publications, expertise and experience in relation to the component of the project that he/she will be responsible for, and copies of or references for relevant peer-reviewed publications by the researchers demonstrating expertise (2 pages maximum per CV).

Other items to be addressed in the proposal (not limited to):

• GANTT chart for study timeline
• Cost-effectiveness of the major biofortified crops (beans, pearl millet, wheat, rice, cassava, orange-fleshed sweet potato, maize)
• User-friendly relevant data entry forms to apply the ex-ante impact models (DALYs) to other iron, zinc, or vitamin A crops (cowpea, potatoes, sorghum)
• Set the foundation and basic structures and programs to model the impact of multiple biofortified crops on micronutrient adequacy (or other indicators for nutrient-dense, healthy diets)

To Apply

Submit expression of interest, proposal, and other relevant documentation on the IFPRI website. In the event of any questions you may reach out to Katie Foley at k.foley@cgiar.org.