Bayer CropScience signed a cooperation agreement with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for the Affordable Nutritious Foods for Women (ANF4W) project at the Rice Future Forum.
Focusing on women of reproductive age, the ANF4W project aims to increase the local supply and demand of affordable nutritious foods presently lacking in many markets in Asia and Africa. Bayer CropScience and GIZ will be collaborating in Bangladesh, where the objective is to improve the nutrient intake of women of reproductive age in regard to iron, zinc, as well as potentially calcium, folic acid, vitamins A and B6.
“We firmly believe that with the right agronomic practices, as well as an improved nutrient supply of crops through inputs, we can eventually enhance the nutrient uptake and thereby alleviate the issue of malnutrition especially among women and children in Bangladesh,” said Joerg Rehbein, Head of Bayer CropScience, Indian Sub-continent.
The project is a pilot for 18 months, with the intention to develop it further covering other countries and crops. Investment of all parties involved amounts to about 1.2 million Euros.