Biodiversity for food and agriculture and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

In the run-up to the 18th Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, a special virtual event brought together stakeholders to discuss the role of biodiversity for food and agriculture in the emerging global biodiversity policy landscape.

Opening the event entitled ‘Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework’, FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo stressed that the sustainable management of natural resources and the conservation of biodiversity is crucial for the food sector. “All global agendas are converging and pointing to the urgent need for agri-food systems that would conserve and use biodiversity in a sustainable way,” she said.

Head of the Biodiversity Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment (DG ENV) Stefan Leiner agreed that urgent action is needed to address the main drivers of biodiversity loss in the context of agriculture. The European Union’s Green Deal sees this as a key priority. The adoption of the EU Biodiversity and the Farm to Fork Strategies, enabled the EU to set up ambitious targets, he explained. These include reducing the use of pesticides by 50 percent and increasing the use of agro-ecological practices. Leiner reaffirmed the European Union’s strong support to FAO’s work on biodiversity mainstreaming across food sectors.

Eduardo Mansur, Director of the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment presented the FAO Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors. “The Strategy focuses on all aspects of biodiversity, from crop and livestock production to forestry, fisheries and aquaculture,” he noted.

His presentation also included some of the expected outcomes of the Strategy:

- support provided to Member States to enhance their capacity to mainstream biodiversity;
- biodiversity mainstreamed across FAO’s policies, programmes and activities;
- global recognition of the role of biodiversity and its ecosystem services for food security and nutrition; and
- strengthened coordination and delivery of FAO’s work on biodiversity.

Biodiversity and healthy Ecosystems make essential contributions to productivity, food security and nutrition, rural livelihoods and resilience. Sustainable agriculture is the answer to reverse trends that lead to biodiversity loss.

By scaling up sustainable practices, we can reduce negative impacts on the environment and conserve biodiversity across shared and productive landscapes and seascapes,

The nexus between biodiversity, healthy diets and the climate crisis is essential! You can read more about FAO’s work on biodiversity here.