Fighting the “Hidden Hunger”

Borax has been at the forefront of developing borates’ potential in agronomy since the 1940s following the discovery that boron is essential to all plants. There are eight of these micronutrient elements – and research shows that a deficiency of even one will severely affect the health of a plant.

Each micronutrient is thought to play a specific role in plant physiology. Boron facilitates fertilization, fruit and seed production. This means that the uptake of boron relates directly to the value of the plant as a food crop. Insufficient boron can cause a number of specific conditions – for example “hollow heart” in peanuts, “hen and chicken” symptoms in bunches of grapes and poor formation of cobs in maize.

While such deficiencies are well known and understood in developed regions such as North America and Europe, the effects may not be recognized in other countries. This is why Borax is working in partnership with agronomy experts in some of the world's most populous countries, such as China and India, in an effort to raise awareness of the need for micronutrients in crop management.

In India, the academic community has a clear understanding of micronutrient deficiency as it relates to boron, but there is a low awareness among farmers. “ India has a largely vegetarian population. The variety of vegetables produced and the quantity of vegetables eaten are much higher than in many other countries. This means that the variety of crops grown and the need for boron is vast,” says Martin Phillips, Borax's Regional Technical Manager for International markets.

Yet the scale of the problem is equally vast. Almost two-thirds of India's population – estimated at 1,027 million in 2001 – are engaged in agriculture and there are perhaps 25 million farmers and smallholders, two thirds of whom own their own land. Borax works alongside governmental organizations and markets its specialty products though national fertilizer companies to send the message that a relatively small expenditure on micronutrients can help farmers realize a large benefit in terms of increased yields and profits. The company also employs agronomists in India, China and other countries who offer expertise in local agricultural methods and conditions.

In a world of six billion people, scientists play a key role in ensuring that the means are available to feed a steadily growing population. Yet few have any delusions about the enormity of the task. In a paper by the Australian researchers Richard Bell and Bernie Dell and their collaborators, presented last year in New Delhi, the authors comment: “The list of essential micronutrients for plants remains unchanged since 1987. This is fortunate, since we are having enough trouble looking after the present ones.”

Governments and growers alike are becoming aware of the potential for boosting crop yields through the use of micronutrients. It has been estimated, for example, that an increase of five percent in rice and wheat harvests in four Asian countries could bring financial benefits of $3.4 billion.

Other research is in progress to determine the role of micronutrients in human and animal diets. If, as strongly suspected, a large proportion of the world population suffers from micronutrient deficiency in some degree, boron and other key elements could offer the key to relieving this hidden hunger.