Global food systems have evolved over the last few decades and have been at the nexus of the economic and social well-being of various developing nations. However, malnutrition in the form of micronutrient deficiency and hunger is affecting more than 2 billion people worldwide. The burden of malnutrition in all its forms remains a challenge by affecting the population of all the gender and age groups, especially women and children. According to The State of Food and Nutrition Security in the World, 2023 report by FAO, around 702 to 828 million people in the world were facing hunger in 2021. It was estimated that around 22% of children under 5 years of age were stunted, 6.7% of the children were wasted and 30% of women aged 15 to 49 years were anemic. The medical, social, developmental, and economic impacts of malnutrition and hidden hunger are considered to be grave and far-fetching, especially in populations that are dependent on low-cost staple food and has inadequate access to a diverse diet.

In wake of this, the transformation of food systems including various sustainable nutrition strategies has become a focal action point worldwide. Agriculture based solutions could pave the way for a healthier and better future, not only for the developing nations but also for the Developed ones. Of the many solutions, the most promising one that has the potential to significantly improve global nutrition security and aid in the recovery from malnutrition, is Biofortification.

Biofortified crops are scientifically shown to improve nutrition and health when eaten regularly, particularly for women and young children, who are most vulnerable to hidden hunger. HarvestPlus and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) are partners in the Commercialization of Biofortified Crops Programme, which is catalyzing commercial markets for biofortified seeds, grains, and food products in six countries with pervasive levels of malnutrition: Bangladesh, Kenya, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and launched in May 2018.

Considering the significance of nutrition security and HarvestPlus's and GAIN’s work towards the broader objective of global prosperity and overall sustainable development, Agriculture Today is hosting a Global Nutrition Conclave on 14th December 2023, powered by HarvestPlus & GAIN. The conclave aims to initiate engagement with private and public sector research, technology, development, and business organizations in the context of existing malnutrition and hidden hunger, and how these organizations can work together to solve these problems. The Global Nutrition Conclave is a the very first platform created dedicated towards Nutrition and will help to bring together relevant organizations to discuss not only various issues but also practical, scalable, and sustainable solutions. The Global Nutrition Conclave will be held to discuss a variety of nutrition-related topics. The key issue to be addressed at this event will be nutrition and biofortification as a prominent solution.