Summary
This study demonstrates that micronutrient composition of staple cereal grains varies significantly at subnational scales across Ethiopia and Malawi, driven by soil and environmental factors including pH, organic matter, temperature, rainfall, and topography. For rural households reliant on locally sourced cereals, geographic location can be the dominant determinant of dietary micronutrient intake. The findings suggest that interventions addressing micronutrient deficiencies—including fortification and biofortification—must account for geographical variation that may exceed the magnitude of intervention effects.
UK applicability
The findings have limited direct applicability to UK cereal production, as UK farming systems, soils, climate, and food security contexts differ substantially from rural sub-Saharan Africa. However, the methodological approach—mapping geospatial micronutrient variation and relating it to soil and environmental covariates—could inform UK soil health and crop composition monitoring, particularly if future biofortification or targeted agronomic interventions are developed.
Key measures
Calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc concentrations in cereal grains; soil pH, soil organic matter, temperature, rainfall, and topography; biomarkers of selenium dietary status
Outcomes reported
The study mapped micronutrient composition (calcium, iron, selenium and zinc) of staple cereal grains across production areas in Ethiopia and Malawi, identifying subnational geospatial variation and its soil and environmental covariates. Positive relationships between grain selenium concentration and biomarkers of selenium dietary status were observed in both countries.
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