Vol. 10, Issue 10 (2021)

Author(s):
Monika Banotra, BC Sharma and Rakesh Kumar

Abstract:
Malnutrition is the condition that develops in humans when body doesn’t get the right amount of dietary vital nutrients, vitamins, minerals; that are needed for maintaining healthy tissues and proper functioning of body. Malnutrition commonly affects all age groups in a community, but infants and young children are the most vulnerable because of their high nutritional requirements for growth and development. Globally 45% of the death among children under five of age are allied to under nutrition. 149 million children under age 5 years were estimated to be too short and 45 million were estimated to be wasted. Worldwide 2 billion people were affected with micronutrient malnutrition. In India 44% of small children under the age of 5 years were underweight. 72% of the infants and 52% of the married woman were suffering from the Fe deficiency. So, tackling micronutrient malnutrition is considered to be superlative investment that will generate a high return in socio-economic benefits and helps in increasing GDP of the country. There are several causes responsible for micronutrient malnutrition which includes lack of balanced diet, lack of good quality food, low concentration of micronutrient in cereals and poverty. There are different tactics for mitigating malnutrition in human beings which includes dietary diversification, artificial supplements, fortification and nutritional education. Among different types of fortifications biofortication through agronomic approach, can be the best way to increase the micronutrient levels in grains in a sustainable manner in which micronutrient fertilizer can be to the crop from the right source, at right time with right method which eventually increases micronutrient concentration in edible part of the cereal crops which will ultimately help in mitigating micronutrient malnutrition.