Biodiversity “essential” to the future of food security
20 May 2021, Rome - Biodiversity is indispensable for food and agriculture, and we need to protect it: that was the main message from QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), at the 17th meeting of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) today.
Participating in a panel on Land Use, Biodiversity and COP 15, the Director-General qualified biodiversity as “essential” for food security and food diversity, considering that biodiversity represents the variety of life in each ecosystem, ranging from plants, animal species and pollinators. It not only underpins food production but can also boost healthy and nutritious diets, improve rural livelihoods, and enhance the resilience of people and communities.
Opening the panel, SDSN President Jeffrey Sachs highlighted the importance of creating a climate-smart future for the food and agriculture sector, adding that our use of land and its biodiversity is a key factor. The Director-General noted, however, that biodiversity is under significant threat and that farming has played a role in this. While thousands of plant species have been cultivated for food, only nine account for two-thirds of today’s total crop production.
“Global agriculture is increasingly based on a narrow range of crop and animal species – and within these species genetic diversity is being lost,” he noted. “For example, 29 percent of the world’s local livestock breeds are classed as at risk of extinction. These negative developments undermine the resilience of our agri-food systems.”
So what can be done to protect biodiversity in agriculture?
“We need urgent collective action to reverse these alarming trends,” Qu said, adding that FAO is working to ensure that the goal of conserving and preserving biodiversity is mainstreamed into all aspects of its work.
Coordinated global responses are crucial, the Director-General said, emphasizing that mainstreaming biodiversity is a team effort by farmers, fishers, livestock keepers and foresters, as well as national authorities, international organisations and consumers.
FAO‘s work, he continued, also focuses heavily on safeguarding and improving the livelihoods of small-scale producers, including indigenous peoples and local communities, who often have a wealth of knowledge on how to manage biodiversity in a sustainable manner.
Lastly, the Director-General highlighted the importance of innovation. Innovative technologies, business models, infrastructure, processes and minds are key to increasing the sustainable performance of the agriculture sector, enabling more precise, efficient work and reducing inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides.
“Together, we can transform our agri-food systems to become more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable - delivering healthy food and prosperity, in harmony with nature,” Qu concluded.
Later this year in October, the 15th Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), to be held in Kunming, China, will discuss the most recent Global Biodiversity Outlook and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
The SDSN was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General with the aim of promoting practical solutions for sustainable development alongside United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.