BIOFORTIFICATION OF DUAL- PURPOSE LEGUMES FOR NUTRITIONAL SECURITY : A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO COMBAT HIDDEN HUNGER

Abstract

DUAL-purpose legumes have attracted growing interest as nutrition-sensitive crops that can increase ongoing protein and micronutrient shortages in vegetarian and mixed diets worldwide. Species like cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), gar den pea (Pisum sativum), french bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), lablab bean (Lablab purpureus), broad bean (Vicia faba) from the Fabaceae family taken as fresh vegetable or dried grain link horticulture and agriculture nutritionally. Their everyday dietary role along with low cost and flexibility across agro-ecosystems make them strong options for micro nutrient delivery. Recent data on biofortifying these legumes and prioritizing iron and zinc while exploring selenium, iodine, and boron. It evaluates traditional breeding using genetic variation, agronomic methods like foliar fertilizers, and advanced tools such as marker-assisted selection and genome editing to raise nutrient levels. Focus is placed on absorption barriers, like phytates, and how breeding aligns with dietary benefits. The results of variety development and feeding experiments indicate that enriched legumes can increase intake in a material manner and benefit low resource populations without relying on pills or processed foods.The problems associated with this are however lim ited genetic diversity of some traits and environmental effects on uptake. The review identifies gaps, such as more bioavailability studies, and proposes embedding biofortified legumes in climate-adaptive, nutrition-focused systems. Ultimately, this approach offers a lasting, diet-based path to curb hidden hunger and bolster food security globally.