Biofortification with Zinc and Iron for Eliminating Deficiency (BIZIFED) UCLAN in partnership with Abaseen Foundation

University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) and partners including Abaseen Foundation have produced a video about the Bizifed project. The project has been implemented with Abaseen Foundation Pakistan in the areas where our Noor Model School is based with the children and families of those who attend the school.

The video includes shots of the areas where we work in NW Pakistan and some of the families of the children from our schools. Click here for the link to the film.

Background information about the Bizifed Project is below:
Zinc deficiency affects 17% of the world’s population and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the world’s most common micronutrient disorder, with the greatest burden in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

In Pakistan, the National Nutrition Survey 2011 indicated that over 40% of women were zinc deficient and 20% had IDA.

The health consequences of zinc deficiency include stunted growth and impaired neurodevelopment in children, increased susceptibility to infections in children and adults, and complications during pregnancy and childbirth. IDA affects maternal and child mortality, physical and cognitive development in children and work productivity in adults.

Biofortification is a process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through conventional plant breeding techniques and the addition of nutrient-rich fertilisers. An increasing body of evidence suggests that it may be a cost-effective and sustainable approach to reduce micronutrient deficiencies.

UCLan and partners are conducting the first large-scale investigation into the potential of biofortified wheat to reduce zinc and iron deficiencies among adolescent girls and children in Pakistan.

Abaseen Foundation Trustees, Helen Bingley (CEO of AF UK) and Nicola Lowe (Trustee of AFUK and Principle Investigator of BIZIFED2), visited Peshawar in March 2020 just before international travel was restricted. They had a busy few days visiting the project sites including the study communities, the local flour mill and the farmers who are growing the biofortified wheat for the study.

If you would like more detailed information about our projects please contact Helen or Jabien on helenbingley1@gmail.com 07838 369652 or jkauser@uclan.ac.uk 07873 513068

For further information and blog posts, please visit the project website:

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