Prices of locally-produced indigenous food, such as quinoa, are also at a record highs: some highland communities have taken to eating rice and pasta instead of their traditional - and more nutritious - crops.

Even if the family carries on, it may plant less or plant less labor-intensive and less nutritious crops, the report said.

Alfalfa was soon introduced and thrived as a nutritious crop in the warm, dry climate.

Other scientists say that more rapid plant growth can make for less nutritious crops if there are not enough nutrients available in the soil.

Researchers also hope that such manipulation of a plant's hereditary material may result in more nutritious crops or, in the case of cotton, a stronger, wrinkle-free fabric.

You probably have your winter salad leaves well under way by now, but if you want to bump up your greens, the most nutritious, fastest-growing and delicious crop to try is watercress.

Scientists also study how to improve fruits and vegetables in order to create value-added and more nutritious crops that can benefit farmers and consumers.

Where farmers and their families fall sick, they cultivate less land and shift to less labour-intensive and less nutritious crops, agricultural productivity decreases and hunger and malnutrition are on the rise.

Produces more nutritious crops (minerals are essential for human health).

The IRRI maintains that with the improvement of rice yields, not only will people reap the benefits of a more nutritious crop, advances in crop research will help sustain local economies.