Biodiversity central to sustainable agriculture and food supply
Biodiversity is the variety of life at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. In terms of agriculture, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, biodiversity “includes the domesticated plants and animals that are part of crop, livestock, forest or aquaculture systems, harvested forest and aquatic species, the wild relatives of domesticated species, and other wild species harvested for food and other products." It also encompasses what is known as “associated biodiversity,” the vast range of organisms that live in and around food and agricultural production systems, sustaining them and contributing to their output. For a perhaps more powerful explanation to the general audience, biodiversity can be described as the representation of knowledge gained from millions of years of evolution by species learning to survive in all the varied conditions of earth, a “library of life.”
In terms of agriculture, biodiversity supplies many of the services heavily relied on even in the most advanced intensive production systems, from pollination to healthy soil to pest control. Discussions of sustainable agriculture must include biodiversity considerations because having a biodiverse system is often what allows the mitigation of environmental effects of food production.
For long-term production resilience, having good biodiversity means that environmental and socio-economic fluctuations will only affect portions of the food systems. Biodiversity has so many different aspects under its umbrella that it can be difficult to quantify or easily demonstrate all its contributions to a healthy production system, but its importance should not be underestimated.
New FAO report warns about shrinking biodiversity
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations released a first of its kind report on decreasing biodiversity in food and agriculture last week. The report includes data from 91 countries and offers some jarring statistics about biodiversity loss.
For example, only nine crops of the 6,000 plant species that have been cultivated for food account for 66% of the world’s total crop production. It is known that 26% of local livestock breeds are near extinction, but the risk status of 67% is unknown. Looking at wild food species, from plants to fish and livestock, 24% are reported to be decreasing in abundance and the status of 61% either unknown or unreported.
The 576-page report highlights the need for more research and better knowledge of what composes biodiversity, such as identifying more of the 99% of bacteria and protist species which remain unknown. It also highlights the need for programs to monitor biodiversity, which are lacking at the moment.
Ways forward
The acknowledgement of biodiversity as an essential component of food production needs to be better voiced to policy makers, scientists, and producers. Again, difficulties in measuring biodiversity have created hurdles in effectively voicing concerns. As better monitoring programs come online, however, decreasing biodiversity should be shown to be just as potentially harmful to long-term food production as climate change.
Most importantly, research and policy need to coalesce into practical steps for producers to take to produce scientifically measured maintenance of biodiversity. Some already occurring examples include Californian farmers allowing rice fields to flood in winter instead of burning them after growing season. This provides 111,000 hectares of wetlands for bird species at risk of extinction. In Kiribati, integrated farming of milkfish, sandfish, sea cucumber and seaweed ensures regular food and income despite changing weather conditions.
Sustaining the food supply to feed the world’s growing population through climate change will be one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Biodiversity should be viewed as one of the most important tools that can be used to ensure success.
James Kincheloe
James received his DVM from the University of California, Davis. He has worked as a herd veterinarian for dairy cows and a small animal veterinarian in California. Jim is interested in agricultural and infectious disease policy, and has collaborated on domestic and international projects across the public health spectrum.