| Sumario: | In September 2025, a Field Day was held in Zapatero, Cartagena (Bolívar, Colombia) as part of the Scaling for Impact program to showcase the progress, benefits, and future prospects of the biofortified rice variety Fedearroz BIOZn035. The event aimed to strengthen resilient agri-food systems, improve food security, and enhance nutrition in rural communities facing climate variability and production challenges.
The event brought together 93 participants, including rice producers, community leaders, farmer associations, technicians, researchers, youth, and representatives from institutions such as Fedearroz, SENA, and the Canal del Dique COMPAS Foundation. This broad participation facilitated knowledge exchange and encouraged local ownership of biofortified rice innovations.
Biofortified rice was presented as a conventional plant breeding strategy that increases zinc content in the grain, helping to reduce micronutrient deficiencies without requiring changes in dietary habits. Given rice’s high consumption rate in Colombia, biofortification represents a strategic public health intervention. Field trials demonstrated that Fedearroz BIOZn035 combines competitive yields (≈7 t/ha), acceptable industrial grain quality, low disease incidence, and stable performance, making it a promising variety for the Humid Caribbean region.
The event also highlighted the potential for value-added processing of biofortified rice, including the production of gluten-free flour and derived food products, creating opportunities for rural entrepreneurship and local economic development. From a commercialization perspective, the Zapatero experience illustrated how product differentiation, branding, and structured business models—supported by the active participation of women and youth—can strengthen market access and improve producer incomes.
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