71 Better Health through Horticulture − AVRDC’s Approach to Improved Nutrition of the Poor Ray Yu Yang, Peter M. Hanson and Thomas A. Lumpkin Nutrition Unit, Breeding Unit and Director General Office AVRDC-the World Vegetable Center P.O. Box 42, Shanhua, Tainan 74149 Taiwan Keywords: indigenous vegetables, germplasm, phytochemicals, antioxidant, breeding, bioavailability, flavonoids Abstract Iron and vitamin A deficiencies, and infectious diseases continue to devastate people of the developing world; noncommunicable diseases attributable to obesity are increasingly common in developed and developing countries. Diets rich in vegetables and fruits providing micronutrients and health-promoting phytochemicals could alleviate both under-nutrition and obesity. Human nutrition from vegetables can be improved by higher per capita vegetable consumption, intake of vegetables high in nutrients/phytochemicals, increasing the bioavailability of nutrients/phytochemicals and better understanding their bioactivity. AVRDC− the World Vegetable Center is an international, non-profit organization with the mandate to reduce malnutrition and poverty among the poor through vegetable research and development. AVRDC activities aim to better human nutrition in four ways: (1) increased vegetable produc- tivity and availability through improved varieties with disease resistance and tolerance to environmental stresses, and crop management practices to enable year- round and safe vegetable production; (2) enrichment of the nutrient/phytochemical content of vegetables through plant breeding and through the collection and promo- tion of nutrient-rich but under-utilized vegetables such as indigenous vegetables; (3) enhancing nutrient bioavailability through optimum food preparation and recipe design, and studies of a whole food approach to investigate the bioavailability of phenolics; (4) assessing the benefits from the consumption of vegetables high in nutrients/bioactive compounds on health and overall economic development. INTRODUCTION Most people in the world lack adequate access to vegetables even though they are essential for good health. Insufficient vegetable and fruit consumption causes 2.7 million deaths annually worldwide and belongs to the top 10 risk factors contributing to mortality (Ezzati et al., 2002). Malnutrition is rampant in the tropics where per capita vegetable supplies in most countries falls far short of the minimum recommended 73 kg/person/ year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, per capita vegetable supplies are only 43% of what is needed, leading to widespread malnutrition. These conditions are intolerable yet they are projected to worsen. The International Food Policy Research Institute predicts an 18% rise in the number of malnourished children from 2001–2020 (IFPRI, 2001). AVRDC-the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) is the leading international center for vegetable research and development with the mission of alleviating poverty and malnutrition in developing countries. The center pursues multiple strategies to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies including development of technologies to increase vegetable production and availability, enriching nutrient density through plant breeding and promotion of nutrient-rich underutilized indigenous vegetables, and enhancing nutrient bioavailability through optimum food preparation (Table 1). AVRDC nutrition research focused initially on vitamin A, and iron deficiencies which affect large numbers of people, especially women and children. Subsequently the center’s research agenda has broadened to include research on antioxidant phytochemicals associated with improved health and lower risks of chronic diseases. This article briefly summarizes AVRDC’s Proc. I st IS on Hum. Health Effects of F&V Ed.: Y. Desjardins Acta Hort. 744, ISHS 2007