AgricultureThe science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool,

and other products.

Biodiversity• Biodiversity is the variety of different types of life found on the Earth and the

variations within species. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. This can refer to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, or species variation (number of species) within an area, biome, or planet.

Agricultural Biodiversity• Agricultural biodiversity is a broad term that includes all components

of biological diversity of relevance to food and agriculture, and all components of biological diversity that constitute the agricultural ecosystems, also named agro-ecosystems.

Dimensions of Agro biodiversity• The following dimensions of agricultural biodiversity can be identified:1.  Genetic resources for food and agriculture:2. Components of biodiversity that support ecosystem services3. Abiotic factors4.  Socio-economic and cultural dimensions.

 Genetic resources for food and agriculturePlant genetic resources, including crops, wild plants harvested and managed for food, trees on farms, pasture and rangeland species,• Animal genetic resources, including domesticated animals, wild

animals hunted for food, wild and farmed fish and other aquatic organisms,• Microbial and fungal genetic resources.

      Components of biodiversity that support ecosystem services upon which agriculture is based. These include a diverse range of organisms that contribute, at various scales to, nutrient cycling, pest and disease regulation, pollination, pollution and sediment regulation, maintenance of the hydrological cycle, erosion control, and climate regulation .

                      Abiotic factors • such as local climatic and chemical factors and the physical structure

and functioning of ecosystems, which have a determining effect on agricultural biodiversity.

                           Socio-economic and cultural dimensions. • Agricultural biodiversity is largely shaped and maintained by human

activities and management practices, and a large number of people depend on agricultural biodiversity for sustainable livelihoods.• These dimensions include traditional and local knowledge of

agricultural biodiversity, cultural factors and participatory processes, as well as tourism associated with agricultural landscapes.

Importance• Biodiversity is the basis of agriculture.• Biodiversity is the origin of all species of crops and domesticated

livestock and the variety within them.• It is also the foundation of ecosystem services essential to sustain

agriculture and human well-being. Today's crop and livestock biodiversity are the result of many thousands years of human intervention.

Importance Biodiversity is essential to• ensure the production of food, fibre , fuel, fodder...• maintain other ecosystem services• allow adaptation to changing conditions - including climate change• and sustain rural peoples' livelihoods

Importance• Agricultural biodiversity provides humans with food and raw materials

for goods - such as cotton for clothing, wood for shelter and fuel, plants and roots for medicines, and materials for biofuels - and with incomes and livelihoods, including those derived from subsistence farming

Importance• Agricultural biodiversity also performs ecosystem services such as soil

and water conservation, maintenance of soil fertility and biota, and pollination, all of which are essential to human survival.

Importance• In addition, genetic diversity of agricultural biodiversity provides

species with the ability to adapt to changing environment and evolve, by increasing their tolerance to frost, high temperature, drought and water-logging, • The resistance to particular diseases, pests and parasites for example.

This is particularly important regarding climate change. The evolution of biodiversity, and therefore both its and our survival, mainly depends on this genetic diversity.

Importance• The importance of agricultural biodiversity encompasses socio-

cultural, economic and environmental elements. All domesticated crops and animals result from human management of biodiversity, which is constantly responding to new challenges to maintain and increase productivity under constantly varying conditions.

What’s The Problem?• Agriculture has to face two main challenges in relation with

biodiversity• to sustain agricultural biodiversity and ecosystem services provided

by, and necessary for, agriculture, and• to mitigate the negative impacts of agricultural systems and practices

on biodiversity which is not used directly whether in the same or other ecosystems.

Solutions• To address these challenges, agriculture is required to take into

account different drivers of change such as:• indirect drivers, e.g. demography (and the expected major growth

world population and food demand), economy (e.g. globalization, market, and trade forces), socio politics (e.g. consumption choices, and policy, institutional and legal frameworks), and science and technology.

Solutions• direct drivers, e.g. climate change, natural resource availability (in

particular water), overuse of agricultural chemicals, land-use changes.• All these drivers contribute to the loss of biodiversity both in

agricultural and other ecosystems, threatening human well-being

Evolution of agriculture• A rapidly growing global human population, and therefore a rapidly

growing world demand for food, coupled with changing production and consumption patterns have stimulated the evolution of agriculture from traditional to modern, intensive systems.

• However, while modern agriculture has enabled• food production to increase, • contributing much to improving food security • and reducing poverty

Damage to Biodiversity• Agriculture has also been responsible for considerable damage to

biodiversity, primarily through land-use conversion • It is expected to remain the largest driver of biodiversity loss beyond

2010 and at least to 2050, but also through overexploitation, intensification of agricultural production systems, excessive chemical and water use, nutrient loading, pollution and introduction of alien species.

How To Reduce This Damage?• traditional knowledge is key to both sustain biodiversity and to ensure

global food security, today it is as well considered by many to be part of the much-threatened global commons.• Farmers are requested to both preserve biodiversity and contribute

to meet the nutritional needs of a growing population. However, they do not control all factors involved including those related to agricultural policies, incentives , markets or consumption patterns, and therefore need support from government policy.

What Needs to be Done?• assessing the status and trends of the world’s agricultural biodiversity,

the underlying causes of change, and knowledge of management practices;• identifying adaptive management techniques, practices and policies;• building capacity, increasing awareness and promoting responsible

action; and• mainstreaming national plans and strategies for the conservation and

sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity into relevant agriculture sectors.

WHY AGRO-BIODIVERSITY MATTERS?• Agricultural biodiversity is the foundation of agriculture• It is the source of genetic material that is vital to future generations.• Approximately 940 species of cultivated plants are threatened

globally (Khoshbakht and Hammer, 2007). When a species or the diversity within a species is lost, we also lose genes that could be important for improving crops, promoting their resistance to pests and diseases, or adapting to the effects of climate change.

Agricultural biodiversity can provide a cost-effective way for farmers to manage pests and diseases• Each year an estimated 10-16% of global harvests are lost to plant disease (Strange & Scott,

2005; Oerke, 2006). Using diversity allows farmers to limit the spread of pests and diseases without investing in high chemical inputs.

• For example:• In the Central Highlands of Vakinankaratra, Madagascar, growing fodder radish next to rice

acts as a natural barrier that significantly reduces the rice damage caused by the larvae and adults of black Dynastid beetles (Avelino et al, 2011).

• In Uganda, pest and disease damage was substantially reduced when farmers grew different varieties of common bean with different resistance together. Growing a combination of varieties together also makes farming systems more resilient to new pests and diseases (Mulumba et al, 2012).

•  Agricultural biodiversity gives farmers options to manage climate risks• All farmers are susceptible to extreme weather events, and many are already feeling the

effects of climate change. Agricultural biodiversity can provide smallholder farmers with more crop options and help buffer the effects of extreme events such as droughts or floods.

• For example:• In Ghana, farmers are planting varieties of crops that mature faster in order to deal with

changes in seasonality and rainfall brought on by climate change (Adjei-Nsiah et al, 2010). • More and more farmers are also turning to varieties that are more drought-, salt- or flood-

tolerant to cope with changing environmental conditions. In Ethiopia, farmers who face high rainfall variability plant more teff, barley and grass pea rather than wheat and lentils (Haile Abreha, 2007). They also respond to high rainfall variability by sowing different varieties of the same crop species (Di Falco et al, 2010).

•  Agricultural biodiversity can contribute to health and nutrition• We know of 7000 plant species in the world that are edible, but over 50% of our plant-

derived calories come from only 3 species: rice, wheat and maize (FAO, 1997). A diverse diet is the basis of food pyramids and nutrition guidelines around the world. A healthy diet includes multiple food groups, made of diverse foods. The heavy reliance on a narrow diversity of food crops puts future food and nutrition security at risk. Nutrient content varies among species and among varieties within a species.

• For example:Minor millets have protein levels close to that of wheat and are rich in B vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Yet they account for less than 1% of the food grains produced in the world (FAO, 1995). Millets are resilient plants that require little water and are mostly grown in marginal areas where major cereals would fail.

•  Agricultural biodiversity can play a role in sustaining soil health, food and habitat for important pollinators and natural pest predators that are vital to agricultural production

• Different crop species and varieties require different minerals, soils and amounts of water to thrive in. Traditional farming techniques based on diversity, such as crop rotation, ensure that the soil has time to regenerate and maintain health over time.

• Diverse crops and land use also attracts and sustains a variety of pollinators that contribute to the production of over 80% of crops traded on the world market (Klein et al, 2007).

• It also provides conditions for natural pest predators that help farmers save on insecticide costs, such as ladybeetles that eat cotton aphids – valued at US$4.96 saved for every additional ladybeetle per 100 cotton plants according to a study in China (Zhou et al, 2013).

• Agricultural biodiversity plays an important part in maintaining cultural identity and tradition• For example:• In the Indian state of Maharashtra alone, around 1,600 flowering plants are

used in traditional medicine, many of which are threatened with extinction. Much of this diversity is preserved in ‘sacred groves’ and women are often the ones who retain knowledge of their uses (UNDP Equator Initiative 2012).• In Benin, 245 species of traditional vegetables are used by communities all

over the country as a source of food, nutrition and medicine (Achigan-Dako et al, 2010).

• Experience and research have shown that agro biodiversity can:• * Increase productivity, food security, and economic returns

* Reduce the pressure of agriculture on fragile areas, forests and endangered species* Make farming systems more stable, robust, and sustainable* Contribute to sound pest and disease management* Conserve soil and increase natural soil fertility and health* Diversify products and income opportunities* Reduce or spread risks to individuals and nations* Help maximize effective use of resources and the environment* Reduce dependency on external inputs* Improve human nutrition and provide sources of medicines and vitamins, * Conserve ecosystem structure and stability of species diversity.

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