Hidden Hunger affects billions of women and children
Hunger is not just about insufficient food. It is also about insufficient nutrient intake. Over half of women and children worldwide suffer from “hidden hunger”. Hidden hunger, also known as micronutrient deficiencies, accounts for approximately 12% of global deaths in children under 5 years and is a leading cause of stunting. It is a global problem but most prevalent in countries with serious or alarming levels of hunger, where diets rely heavily on starchy staples and healthy diets are often not affordable. The climate crisis, soil degradation, and global dependence on maize, rice and wheat exacerbate the problem further as they cause yields and nutrient density of staple crops to decline and the risk of crop failure to rise.
Opportunity crops can improve micronutrient intake
How scaling up opportunity crops can reduce micronutrient
gaps and contribute to resilient food system
Opportunity crops have emerged as a leverage point to combat hidden hunger as they can both improve diets and enhance climate resilience. Opportunity crops are traditional or indigenous, locally adapted crops that are rich in micronutrients, more tolerant of extreme growing conditions, and traditionally underutilized.
Though opportunity crops have attracted growing attention, research on what they can do for nutrition is still scarce. A new, cutting-edge study commissioned and co-authored by Welthungerhilfe provides the first quantitative and policy-oriented analysis of how scaling up the production and consumption of opportunity crops could help to close micronutrient intake gaps. The study covers 20 opportunity crops and 12 essential micronutrients in 41 countries with a high burden of hunger and undernutrition.
The study shows that opportunity crops offer a promising solution for addressing hidden hunger. They are particularly well suited to improve intakes of calcium, folate, riboflavin, vitamin C, vitamin E, among others. Some opportunity crops are rich in iron, zinc, and magnesium as well, even when considering that these nutrients are less bioavailable in plants than in animal-source foods. They can also help to address seasonal nutrition gaps as many can be harvested year-round or preserved through drying, fermentation, or long shelf life.
Did you know?
100 kcal of amaranth leaves provide 123 % of a 30 year old woman’s daily required calcium intake and 106 % of her iron intake. If 20 % of rice produced in India was replaced with amaranth, this would be enough to cover 59% of all Calcium and 202 % of all iron intake of women of reproductive age in India.
The study includes the most comprehensive analysis to date of the nutrient composition of opportunity crops, where and when they can be cultivated and harvested, and to what extent they are promoted by national policies in countries affected by hunger.
Check out this interactive dashboard to explore the data or select and scale opportunity crops for improved nutrition.
If opportunity crops are so great, why isn’t everyone eating them?
Opportunity crops are no silver bullets. Opportunity crops cannot improve vitamin B12 intake. Opportunity crops can outperform staple crops under extreme weather but generally produce lower yields otherwise. As yields decline, farmers can grow more risk-averse and prefer well-known high-output crops. Some opportunity crops are also seen as “poor people’s food”, as consumer preferences are shifting toward processed foods. Opportunity crops must be integrated with other food-based strategies such as fortification, biofortification and supplementation, but they are a vital part of the puzzle to overcome hidden hunger. And to achieve the true potential of opportunity crops, investment into research, support systems and social behavioral change is urgently needed.
Welthungerhilfe is committed to scaling opportunity crops for nutrition
Welthungerhilfe recognizes opportunity crops as a key leverage point for food systems transformation. Scaling opportunity crops for nutrition is part of Welthungerhilfe’s Strategy 2025-2030, our commitment in the Nutrition Accountability Framework, and our commitment as a champion of the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils movement.
Our portfolio of programs on opportunity crops includes market segment analysis, variety profiling, breeding, seed system development and governance, integrating opportunity crops in nutrition-optimized production and market systems, conservation, school feeding, social and behavioral change, and advocacy. Together with our partners – farmers, civil society, governments and entrepreneurs – we challenge and change systems for zero hunger.
What can we do together?
Our data-based dashboard can help to facilitate the nutrition-sensitive selection of opportunity crops for nutrition-sensitive scaling. But selecting opportunity crops for scaling is not enough. Together, we must challenge and change research, production, and policies. We propose four pillars of collaborative action:
Invest in data, research, and innovation for opportunity crops. Improve the quality and accessibility of food composition data for all 60 VACS-prioritized opportunity crops. Scale up crop suitability and soil nutrient mapping (especially for micronutrients that are highly dependent on soil conditions, such as iodine and selenium), yield modeling, and integrated analyses of climate resilience and nutritional potential. Develop decision-support tools to guide the integration of opportunity crops into production, trade, and consumption strategies. Consider all regions with high burdens of malnutrition and soil degradation for data, research, and innovation, including South Asia.
Scale location-appropriate opportunity crops to reduce micronutrient gaps. Prioritize crops based on seasonal and geographic disparities in micronutrient intakes. Increase demand and consumption through processing and packaging for convenience, school meals, nutrition education, maternal and child health programs, and behavior change strategies. Strengthen supply through breeding programs, seed systems, technical extension services for producers, and community gardens. Support farmer access to processing, storage, and marketing infrastructure, with a particular focus on empowering women and youth in opportunity crop value chains.
Promote coherent, nutrition-sensitive policies and trade environments. Integrate opportunity crops into national food-based dietary guidelines and policies to align nutrition, agriculture, and environmental goals, as well as the goals of Indigenous populations. Ensure a supportive regulatory environment for cross-border trade and harmonized food standards. Use modeling and decision support tools to inform evidence-based policy decisions.
Embed opportunity crops in broader nutrition and food system strategies. Position opportunity crops as a foundational component of climate-resilient, nutrient-rich food systems. Align efforts with complementary interventions to improve micronutrient intake, such as fortification, supplementation, and biofortification. Promote opportunity crops holistically with low-impact animal-source foods across landscapes, markets, and plates to ensure sustainable healthy diets. Integrate food-based solutions with multi-sectoral plans that address maternal, infant, and young child feeding; management of acute malnutrition; nutrition norms and governance; water, sanitation, and hygiene; and social protection services for nutrition.
