Democratic Republic of Congo

Building Nutrition Resilience in Fragile Contexts

HarvestPlus Solutions works with farmers, government partners, research institutions, agribusinesses, and seed-sector partners across the DRC to scale biofortified crops while strengthening the standards, seed systems, and value chains needed to bring nutritious, biofortified foods to tables nationwide.

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People Eating Nutritious, Biofortified Food

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Farming Households Reached

Biofortified Varieties Available to Farmers for Cultivation

Delivering Nutrition in a Fragile Environment

The DRC faces persistent challenges of malnutrition and food insecurity. About 42 percent of children under five are stunted, while anemia affects an estimated 47 percent of children under five and 38 percent of women of reproductive age. Earlier national estimates also found high levels of vitamin A deficiency among young children. The World Bank estimates that undernutrition costs the DRC around 4.6 percent of GDP—approximately US$1.7 billion annually—through lost productivity, higher healthcare costs, and premature deaths.

HarvestPlus Solutions works with the Government of the DRC and private-sector partners to scale vitamin A maize and cassava, orange-fleshed sweet potato, and iron beans, expanding access to nutritious foods for vulnerable communities.

How We Work in DRC

Three pathways HPS DRC uses to scale nutrition through farmers — from seed, to market, to plate.

Seed and Food System Strengthening

What This Is

We work with research institutions, seed-sector partners, and government agencies to strengthen sustainable seed systems for biofortified staple crops in the DRC. By supporting seed multiplication and distribution, HarvestPlus Solutions is accelerating the availability of biofortified crop varieties and building a reliable domestic seed supply at scale.

What It Looks Like in DRC

More than 53 agri-multipliers were trained in seed multiplication, quality standards, storage, and business management, strengthening local capacity to produce quality planting material. Production exceeded program targets, including 461,497 kg of maize seed, 222,060 kg of beans and cowpeas, 1.26 million cassava cuttings, and 5 million orange-fleshed sweet potato vines.

Building Partnerships to Deliver Nutrition

What This Is

The DRC’s complex humanitarian environment, conflict, and weak infrastructure create significant barriers to delivering nutritious foods to vulnerable communities. HPS is building partnerships with the public and private sector to develop nutrition-smart ecosystems that can operate in challenging settings by supporting local seed systems, farmers, researchers, government institutions, processors, and markets to sustainably bring nutrient-rich crops to families.

What It Looks Like in DRC

More than 100 public and private-sector partners are supporting the scaling of climate-smart, nutritious crops. In partnership with the Government of the DRC, HarvestPlus Solutions is turning biofortification into a practical pathway to improve diets, strengthen livelihoods, and build resilience.

Building National Scientific Capacity

What This Is

We equip researchers, laboratories, and research institutions with the skills, infrastructure, and tools to develop, test, and improve nutritious crop varieties locally—building a stronger foundation for sustained innovation beyond individual projects.

What It Looks Like in DRC

The establishment of a national biofortification laboratory provides a platform to train researchers, technicians, students, and young scientists while fostering scientific collaboration and the continued improvement of biofortified crops.

Stories from DRC

The latest from the farms, schools, cooperatives and businesses — and the people leading the work.

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All DRC-Story

Building a Nutrition Smart Ecosystem in Fragile Contexts: Biofortification in the DRC

Despite poor road conditions, security challenges in eastern DRC, and fragile seed systems, the DRC…

June 25, 2025