Biodiversity is the biological variety of variability of life on earth. It is a measure of variation at the genetic species and ecosystem level. Biodiversity is a term that describes every living organism within a single ecosystem or habitat, including numbers and diversity of species and all environmental aspects such as temperature, oxygen, and carbon dioxide levels, and climate. Biodiversity can be measured globally or in smaller settings, such as ponds.

Agricultural biodiversity is defined as “the variety and variability of animals, plants, and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry, and fisheries.”

Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society’s present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability of current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem services.

Causes of loss of agricultural biodiversity

The social movements of smaller-scale food providers have summarized their views on the principal causes of the loss of agricultural biodiversity:

  • The industrial model of production and consumption is rapidly eroding rural societies that manage agricultural biodiversity.
  • The industrial model of production also displaces peasant varieties and breeds through using genetically uniform, and, increasingly, genetically modified, monocultures of crops, livestock, and fish, while locking up diversity in gene banks.
  • Land grabs and ocean/water grabs extend the area under this model of production.
  • The intensive use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers further reduces agricultural biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
  • Climate change, exacerbated by this model, is putting new pressures on the local diversity of crops and livestock as weather patterns change, and new pests and diseases proliferate. Consequent disaster relief efforts distributing inappropriate, often industrial, seeds and livestock breeds undermine local agricultural biodiversity.
  • Industrial research systems for this model devalue and erode peasant and indigenous knowledge, local research capacities, and the multitude of local innovation systems that foster agricultural biodiversity.
  • Monopolies, favored by this model, control industrial seed, agrochemical, and industrial commodity markets and value chains, and this jeopardizes freedom for peasants to control, access, and use agricultural biodiversity.
  • Intellectual property rights (IPRs) (sometimes dubbed “industrial” property rights by peasant organizations because they defend the interests of industry) and other laws that protect seed monopolies stimulate the widespread use of industrial varieties and can also criminalize peasant producers who develop, use, share, exchange.

The sustainable food system and agriculture

Food Biodiversity and Dietary Diversity

Out of the 7000-plant species being cultivated for food, just five species, namely, rice, wheat, maize, millet, and sorghum, provide 60% of the energy intake of the world population.

This reflects the global trend towards homogenization of agricultural production and diets. Nevertheless, it is being recognized that better use of agricultural biodiversity is linked to nutritious diets, enhanced livelihoods for farmers, and resilient farming systems.

Studies looking at the relationship between environmental and human health show that agricultural biodiversity has the potential to support dietary diversity and nutrient adequacy.

Several studies have shown that dietary diversity is related to increased nutrient adequacy of the diet and contributes substantially to the overall micronutrient intake Green leafy vegetables and dark yellow-orange fruits play a crucial role, as they are naturally high sources of provitamin A.

One of the key micronutrients of public health concern. To easily assess the diversity of diets, indicators counting the food groups that have been consumed over the past 24 hours have been developed. They can be measured at the household or individual level and provide information on household food access or individual dietary quality.

Food biodiversity, defined as the diversity of plants, animals, and other organisms used for food, covering the genetic resources within species, between species (i.e. variety/cultivar level or for wild and underutilized foods) and provided by ecosystems, is receiving attention internationally.

This means that consuming one or another variety of mango, banana, or rice can make a difference between nutrient adequacy or inadequacy. Although vitamin A deficiency was an issue in this area, the local foods had not been promoted until then. When this high pro-vitamin A source of food was identified, a “Go Local” campaign was initiated to increase the production and consumption of locally grown foods. Carotenoid-rich banana varieties not previously marketed became popular and appeared in the local markets. In addition to nutrition programs, the nutrient content of crops and animals at the variety/cultivar level has also the potential to inform agricultural breeding programs. Data on the nutrient content should be among the criteria for agriculture policymakers to ensure not only higher yield, more drought-resistant, etc. but also more nutritious crop varieties.

A positive example in this regard is the recommendations of the 20th Session of the International Rice Commission stating that “Existing biodiversity of rice varieties and their nutritional composition need to be explored before engaging in transgenics, and nutrient content needs to be among the criteria in cultivar promotion and cultivar-specific nutrient analysis and data dissemination should be systematically undertaken”.