Read the original article in The Hindu Business Line
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has announced that it will be studying nutrition health and crops such as millets, sorghum, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnuts, now known as ‘smart foods’. For this it is partnering with the University of Reading so that “farmers around the world can be helped to grow the best food that is fit for future generations” in the face of a tendency towards large-scale obesity and the impact of climate change.
The study will include the role of gut microbiome in human nutrition, the effect of diet on human health and the implications for plant breeding as part of a series of topics on the subject. For this, ICRISAT says it will be leveraging its expertise of working in the toughest and driest zones across the world.
“Sustainable food and health solutions will need to ensure a three-fold purpose — that they are good for you, good for the planet and good for the farmer,” said Joanna Kane-Potaka, Assistant Director General of External Relations at ICRISAT and Executive Director of Smart Food. She felt that such solutions can only be possible if we move away from silos and work towards finding answers through partnerships.
