Editor,

Refer to the letter, "Fortified foods or GMOs?” (The New Times, May 11). It is important to keep in mind that it is only when our agricultural systems are failing us nutritionally that we resort to treating nutritional deficiencies in a 'medicinal' manner through fortification, supplementation, genetic engineering, etc.

Here in Malawi, we have had eight consecutive years with surplus maize harvests yet our malnutrition rates have remained steady.

Millions of dollars are being poured into fortification and supplementation programmes (even putting vitamin A into sugar), without any real effort being made to promote, grow, and utilise a diversity of nutritious crops (of which there are literally hundreds upon hundreds available throughout Africa that could be used to convert monocropped agricultural systems into highly-nutritious, seasonal, perennial, low-input, polycultural systems).

Beware looking outwards for solutions before we've looked within.

Never Ending Food