Suman devi fulfilling her family’s nutritional needs with high zinc wheat

Suman Devi is a smallholder farmer from Dhibra Gaya—a remote village in Bihar, India. Suman, and her husband have been growing wheat—the family’s primary source of food and income—on their four-acre piece of land. Despite having a regular source of food, Suman soon realized that her children suffered from malnutrition, and often missed school. “We always eat rotis (bread) at home, but the food was often leftover because the children did not enjoy eating it,” Suman explained.

Suman, like many more farmers in rural India, is experiencing a decline in her children’s health due to the decreased nutrient value of the food they eat. JEEVIKA – Bihar Rural Livelihoods project, is a World Bank-supported, Government of Bihar project, which aims to empower the rural poor by creating self-managed community institutions and enhancing incomes through sustainable livelihoods.