FAO, the report on biodiversity for food and agriculture
Noumbé Sarr, Rufisque (Senegal)
27 July 2019
Biodiversity for food and agriculture (BFA) and its management around the world is worrying. This is evident from the FAO report which photographs the state of the art in 2019. (1)
Il relationship it is elaborated on the basis of information provided by 91 countries and 27 international organizations, analysis of the global literature, as well as data and contributions from over 175 authors and reviewers.
What is meant by biodiversity
Biodiversity it is the variety of life at the genetic, species and ecosystem level. In turn, BFA (biodiversity for agriculture and food) is the set of farmed plants and animals, forests, aquatic species and aquaculture, as well as wild versions of domestic animals and plants. Also included is the vast array of organisms found in agricultural and food production systems.
Food safety and sustainable development depend on biodiversity. Think of the healthiness of the soils, the pollination of plants, the natural control of parasites, as well as the conservation of suitable habitats for wildlife, including fish, vital for food.
The resilience of biodiversity at risk
A further a precious function of biological diversity is expressed in the resilience which benefits the environment and communities in the event of environmental and socio-economic stress. This is the case of the integration of different animal races and plant varieties capable of supporting food security and nutrition in changing living conditions.
Lots of wealth however, it is in decline, reports the FAO. Pollution and environmental degradation threaten organisms protecting the environment (pollinators, beneficial insects against parasites) and ecosystems essential for fresh water and protection against floods and other environmental dangers.
Less and less diversity
The races are decreasing bred animals. Of the 7.745 local breeds, 26% are known to be at risk of extinction, while 67% lack information on the level of risk.
They continue to compress also the plant varieties grown in the world. Of the more than 6 plant species grown for food, fewer than 200 play a role in providing nutrition. And just 9 species account for 66% of global agricultural production.
The sea without fish
The impoverishment described for terrestrial cultivation also concerns fish resources. Nearly one third (33%) of fish stocks are overfished, while one third of freshwater fish species are threatened.
The wild fish they are fully included among the wild food sources at risk, to which plants and terrestrial animals also belong. FAO reports that 24% of wild food species are in decline, while another 61% has no data.
The role of agricultural practices
The BFA it is influenced by many factors, such as climate change, international markets and population growth, with now evident consequences. The subtraction of land for agricultural purposes or for further urbanization, pollution, environmental poisoning with pesticides.
Much of the negative impacts on biodiversity for agriculture and food are at least partly to be attributed to inadequate agricultural practices. Real attacks on ecosystems, which gradually lose the vital function of regulating the climate, filtering the air and water, safeguarding soil fertility.
Associated biodiversity in danger
The wide range of organisms which revolves around agricultural and food production systems is associated biodiversity protection. It is threatened by aggressive practices that vary according to geographic location.
Excessive exploitation it's everywhere. More specifically, in Africa hunting and poaching are rampant, in Asia - as we know - deforestation is raging. In Europe and Central Asia, deforestation and land grabbing for intensive agricultural purposes weigh on. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the crisis is due to overfishing, parasites, diseases and invasive species. While the excessive exploitation of natural resources weighs heavily in the Near East and North Africa.
The weakness of sustainability policies
Politics, science and technology they can do a lot to protect the BFA. However, they express a weakness that is unable to truly protect biodiversity for food and agriculture
The declaimed measures they do not correspond to real progress. The cause seems to lie in a chronic lack of awareness among political decision-makers and among the other parties involved and with interests diverging from the common good. This in particular concerns wild foods and associated biodiversity.
The full text of the report (576 pages) is available at this link http://www.fao.org/3/CA3129EN/CA3129EN.pdf
Cover image: 60 dessins de presse. Préface de Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Gallimard
Note
(1) FAO. 2019. The State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, J. Bélanger & D. Pilling (eds.). FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Assessments. Rome. 572 pp. (http://www.fao.org/3/CA3129EN/CA3129EN.pdf)
