Biological

diversity is fundamental

to agriculture and food

production.

From the millions of genes

that serve as life’s building
blocks, to the thousands of plants
and animals that inhabit the Earth, to
the almost limitless combinations of organisms
that make up natural ecosystems, biodiversity makes an essential
contribution to feeding the world.

Living things are interdependent, intricately linked
in birth, death and renewal. Human beings are
just one small part of this vibrant mosaic yet put
increasing pressure on species and the environment.
As a result, many plants and animals are at risk as
well as essential natural processes such as pollination
by insects and the regeneration of soils by micro-
organisms.
To feed a growing population, agriculture must
be intensified to provide more food. It will also be
essential to increase the resilience of agriculture by
maintaining a wide array of life forms with unique
traits, such as trees that survive drought or cattle
that reproduce in harsh conditions. Sustainable
agricultural practices can both feed people and
protect the oceans, forests, prairies and other
ecosystems that harbour biological diversity.
To pay tribute to biodiversity’s role in ensuring that
people have regular access to enough high-quality
food to lead active, healthy lives, FAO has chosen
“Biodiversity for Food Security” as this year’s World
Food Day theme.
Also in 2004, the world celebrates the entry into
force of FAO’s International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture. e Treaty
will play an important role in achieving lasting food
security and sustainable agriculture.
Biodiversity for Food Security
WORLD FOOD DAY
16 October 2004

A :    
Scientists so far have identified
about 1.4 million of the plant and
animal species that exist on Earth.
People rely on the variety of life for
food, shelter, goods, services and
livelihood. But as human populations
expand, biodiversity comes under
threat. e greatest harm is caused
by damage to natural habitats. Wild
species become extinct when the
places where they live are destroyed.
Pollution, urbanization, deforestation
and conversion of wetlands force
out wildlife. Mismanagement of
agriculture, forestry and fisheries
further accelerates this destructive
process.
B   

A rich variety of cultivated plants
and domesticated animals serve
as the foundation for agricultural
biodiversity. Yet people depend on
just 14 mammal and bird species
for 90 percent of their food supply
from animals. And just four
species – wheat, maize, rice and
potato – provide half of our energy
from plants.
Beyond the number of species, it is
also essential to conserve genetic
diversity within each species. Modern
agriculture has encouraged many
farmers to adopt uniform high-
yielding types of plants or animals.
But when food producers abandon
diversity, varieties and breeds may die
out – along with specialized traits.
FAO/12675/F. McDougall
FAO/23425/J. Boethlin
Rice cultivation: a microcosm of the web of life
Rice fields are an extremely rich reservoir of biological diversity — in
one rice field, FAO found more than 700 species of insects and other
organisms. At the bottom of this food chain are bacteria and tiny aquatic
plants. These organisms are eaten by microscopic animals, which in turn
are eaten by mosquito and midge larvae. The larvae provide nourishment
for larger predatory insects, whose presence ebbs and flows as rice is
planted, grown and harvested. During the Green Revolution in Asia heavy
insecticide use was introduced along with modern high-yielding rice
varieties. But after devastating infestations by the brown planthopper,
farmers realized that the chemicals also knocked out natural predators.
Through farmer field schools, integrated pest management techniques
help farmers to recognize insects and treat only those that threaten their
crop. As a result, chemical use is down and rice yield is up. In 2004, FAO
celebrates the International Year of Rice and welcomes the continued
use of ecological methods of growing this essential crop.
is rapidly diminishing gene pool B 
worries experts. Having a broad , 
range of unique characteristics allows

plants and animals to be bred to
More than 40 percent of the land’s
meet changing conditions. It also
surface is used for agriculture,
gives scientists the raw materials they
giving farmers a large part of
need to develop more productive and
the responsibility for protecting
resilient crop varieties and breeds.
biodiversity. By using techniques
like no-tillage agriculture, reduced
Rather than a single crop variety
pesticide use, organic agriculture
that guarantees a high yield, farmers
and crop rotation, farmers maintain
in developing countries are more
the fragile balance of their farm
likely to need an assortment of crops
and the surrounding ecosystems.
that grow well in harsh climates or
With plants, animals and their
animals with resistance to disease.
environments intact, a range of
For the poorest farmers, the diversity
essential services to nature is
of life may be their best protection
preserved. Livestock, insects, fungi
against starvation. Consumers also
and micro-organisms decompose
benefit when they have access to a
organic matter, transferring nutrients
wide choice of plants
to the soil. Bees, butterflies, birds and
and animals. is
bats pollinate fruit trees. Swamps and
contributes to a
marshes filter out pollutants. Forests
nutritious diet,
prevent flooding and reduce erosion.
particularly important
And natural predators keep the
for rural communities
growth of any one species in check.
with limited access to
markets.
 C , increasingly recognized along
    FAO/23904/A. Yayé
with their right to receive some
of the benefits, including monetary
FAO estimates that about three-
benefits. e concept of Farmers’
quarters of the genetic diversity of F   ,
Rights holds that farmers should
agricultural crops have been lost over     share in the benefits, have a voice in
the last century. And of 6 300 animal Since the birth of agriculture decision-making, enjoy continued
10 000 years ago, farmers, fishers, access to genetic diversity and
breeds, 1 350 are endangered or
pastoralists and forest dwellers have obtain protection of their traditional
already extinct. Global efforts to
been managing genetic diversity knowledge. Farmer’s Rights is an
conserve plants and animals in gene by selecting plants and animals to essential part of the International
banks, botanical gardens and zoos are meet environmental conditions and
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for
vital. But an equally important task food needs. Farmers transfer this Food and Agriculture (see Protecting
is to maintain biodiversity on farms knowledge from one generation to biodiversity with legal force).
and in nature, where it can evolve the next. It is this genetic variability,
along with that of wild species, which
and adapt to changing conditions or U    
allows scientists to breed improved
competition with other species.   
strains of crops and livestock, and fish
As custodians of the world’s for aquaculture. In the 1840s, genetic 
biodiversity, farmers can develop uniformity left the Irish potato crop As countries shift away from the
and maintain local plants and trees vulnerable to potato blight, a highly production of local traditional foods,
and reproduce indigenous animals, virulent disease that wiped out the the food base often narrows. One
crop and led to over a million deaths way of protecting this resource is
ensuring their survival.
from starvation. Scientists later found through market forces. In the Andes
that some of the best mountains of Bolivia and Peru, sales
sources of resistance of the quinoa grain are on the rise.
International Treaty on Pl ant Genetic to blight came from is highly nutritious and gluten-
Resources for Food and Agriculture Latin America, where free wheat substitute sustained
The FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic potatoes originated the Inca Empire but then fell into
Resources for Food and Agriculture enters into and where local disuse. Efforts by local farmers and
force on 29 June 2004. This legally binding farmers had selected community groups are helping to
instrument is crucial for sustainable agriculture. and planted disease- boost its production. Elsewhere,
It provides a framework for national, regional resistant varieties consumers are calling for organically
and international efforts to conserve and over millennia. grown heirloom varieties of fruits and
sustainably use plant genetic resources for food vegetables that are high in vitamins
and agriculture – and for sharing the benefits Farmers everywhere and taste good. From basmati rice
equitably, in line with the Convention on Biological possess priceless local in Pakistan to free-range native
Diversity. The Treaty contains two important and
knowledge, including chickens in South Africa, demand for
unique elements. First, it recognizes the enormous
a highly tuned sense indigenous foods is helping farmers
contribution made by farmers in all regions of the
of how to match the and processors to improve household
world towards the conservation and development
of plant genetic resources and identifies ways right variety or breed income while safeguarding
of protecting and promoting Farmers’ Rights. with a particular biodiversity.
Second, it establishes a multilateral system of agricultural
access and benefit sharing. This will ensure ecosystem. In past
that countries have access to some of the most years, the genetic
important plant genetic resources needed for resources of poor
food security. It identifies a range of benefits countries were
to be shared on a multilateral basis – benefits used for crop and
like information exchange, technology transfer animal breeding,
and access, building capacity at local levels, and often with no benefit
ea r

monetary and other benefits of commercialization.

C. Y

returning to those
Benefits are targeted mainly to developing
i rley

countries. Today,
6/ Sh

countries and countries with economies in

32 0

the contribution
transition, to help ensure that they will have the
/2
FAO

capacity to conserve and sustainably use their own of farmers in

genetic resources as well as any they may obtain these countries is
under the multilateral system.

S: , ,
  
Conserving biodiversity for agriculture
will require efforts on many fronts.
e foremost threat to biodiversity is
the destruction of habitats. Damage
to farmlands must be halted so that
farming can protect and restore
biodiversity within and around
agricultural ecosystems. Often, a little
help is all that is needed. In Tamil
Nadu, India, intensive tea cultivation
had left soils degraded. A treatment
with earthworms and organic matter
regenerated soil fertility and raised
profits threefold.
A supportive policy environment is
essential. Where traditional knowledge
already provides a solution, government
policy can offer additional support.
For instance, flexible users’ rights can
facilitate the practice of farmers letting
pastoralists graze animals on their fields
in return for free manure to enrich
soils. Local contracts for beekeepers
who move their hives into orchards
can boost fruit production through
enhanced pollination.
Scientific research has much
to offer farmers and more of it
should be directed to the needs
of poor countries. Science can
FAO/22245/G. Bizzarri
enhance
the knowledge of
farmers on how to
safeguard ecosystems and improve
production overall. New techniques
can help to better conserve genetic
resources and detect disease. One way
of supporting research will be through
the Global Crop Diversity Trust, a
fund created by FAO and its partners.
e Trust will assist developing
countries in maintaining first-rate gene
banks where genetic resources will be
kept safe for future generations.
More than anything else, it is
perhaps better education that will
be the deciding factor in protecting
biodiversity. When farmers learn
that yields can be improved without
expensive and potentially harmful
pesticides, they are quick to adopt
these new methods. e work of
environmental groups who inform the
public about safeguarding biodiversity
will also be increasingly important.
And it is hoped that as governments see
the benefits of policies and training to
help farmers protect biodiversity, their
support will grow. FAO will continue
to count on the collaboration of its
partners, including other international
organizations; research, trade and
policy institutes; grassroots community
groups, the public and consumers.
More than 840 million people
remain hungry around the world and
still more suffer from micronutrient
deficiencies. Global efforts have so far
been insufficient to reach the World
Food Summit and related Millennium
Development goal of reducing the
number of hungry by half by 2015.
Biodiversity will be a key ally in
fighting malnutrition. It deserves our
protection. ü
FAO/19824/R. Faidutti
Protecting biodiversity with legal force
FAO helps to provide policy guidelines that regulate
the conservation and sustainable use of biological
diversity.
The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries,
adopted in 1995, sets out principles to conserve,
manage and sustainably use living aquatic
resources. The Code works to protect the world’s
marine, coastal and inland waters with due respect
for biodiversity and the ecosystem. FAO encourages
all countries to implement this voluntary Code
including provisions with binding effects, for
example on conservation and management
measures for vessels on the high seas.
A Model Code of Forest Harvesting Practice
was published in 1996 to encourage improved
management to help conserve forests. Codes have
been developed for the Asia-Pacific and West and
Central African regions as well as national codes,
for example for China.
The aim of the International Plant Protection
Convention is to protect plants by setting
standards for pest control. The Convention
protects biodiversity by preventing the introduction
of pests including invasive alien species that may
out-compete local plants or animals. It entered
into force in 1952.
In March 2004, the International Treaty
on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture received ratifications from enough
countries to come into force 90 days later, on
29 June 2004. The Treaty will ensure that plant
genetic resources are conserved and sustainably
used and that the benefits from their use are
equitably distributed.
The Convention on Biological Diversity
recognizes that conservation of biological diversity
is a common concern of humankind and essential
for development. FAO works closely with the
Convention secretariat on many issues, including
joint management of a programme on agricultural
biodiversity that draws upon the full range of FAO
technical expertise.
For more information:
World Food Day
Chief, Unit for Liaison
with National Committees
Tel.: (+39) 06 570 54166
Fax: (+39) 06 570 53210
world-food-day@fao.org
AD/I/Y5418E/1/6.04/55000
TeleFood
Executive Coordinator
TeleFood Secretariat
Tel.: (+39) 06 570 52917
Fax: (+39) 06 570 53167
telefood@fao.org