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"Biodiversity for
Food Security" is the theme of this year's World Food Day, to
be celebrated on 16 October 2004, FAO announced today.
This year's World Food Day/TeleFood campaign will emphasize the
importance of biodiversity for agriculture, food security and
rural livelihoods, and especially for those populations living in
marginal and harsh environments.
Biological diversity comprises countless plants that feed and heal
people, many crop varieties and aquatic species with specific
nutritional characteristics, livestock species adapted to harsh
environments, insects that pollinate fields and micro-organisms
that regenerate agricultural soils.
Conserving and using biodiversity sustainably is key to feeding
the around 800 million malnourished people in developing
countries.
.......Biodiversity threatened
Biodiversity, essential for agriculture and food production, is
threatened by urbanization, deforestation, pollution and the
conversion of wetlands.
Due to agricultural modernization, changes in diets and population
density, humankind increasingly depends on a reduced amount of
agricultural biological diversity for its food supplies, FAO said.
A dozen species of animals provide 90% of the animal protein
consumed globally and just four crop species provide half of
plant-based calories in the human diet.
FAO estimates that about three-quarters of the genetic diversity
found in agricultural crops have been lost over the last century.
Of 6 300 animal breeds, 1 350 are endangered or already extinct.
This rapidly diminishing gene pool is cause for concern, FAO said.
Reduction of biodiversity entails a reduction of options for
ensuring more diverse nutrition, enhancing food production,
raising incomes, coping with environmental constraints and
managing ecosystems. Recognising, safeguarding and using the
potential and diversity of nature is critical for food security
and sustainable agriculture.
Message of the FAO Director-General for World Food Day/TeleFood
on Biodiversity for Food Security
"Biodiversity for
Food Security", the theme of this year's World Food Day, reflects
our planet's richness and the key to ending hunger that this great
diversity represents.
However, the world's biodiversity is under threat and this could
severely compromise global food security. FAO estimates that about
three-quarters of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops have
been lost over the last century. As a consequence, the food supply
becomes more vulnerable, there are less opportunities for growth
and innovation in agriculture and less capacity for agriculture to
adapt to environmental changes, such as global warming, or to the
appearance of new pests and diseases.
As they have done throughout history, small-scale farmers and
herders are protecting and increasing the world's stock of genetic
resources. By so doing, they are making an especially important
contribution to food security.
Many rural families in developing countries cannot find a
sufficient variety of nutritious food in their local markets or
are simply too poor to purchase them. Because of this, they must
make the best use of indigenous plant varieties and animal breeds.
In this regard, the fundamental role played by women farmers must
be emphasized. In much of the developing world, the conservation
and use of plant genetic resources have always been and remain the
responsibility of women.
In the past, the contributions made by farmers in the developing
world towards the preservation of agricultural biodiversity have
not been properly appreciated. Today, however, their rights have
been recognized and incorporated into the Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture, which entered into force in
June this year. The Treaty is a binding international instrument
that:
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secures the
conservation and sustainable utilization of the world's
agricultural genetic diversity;
-
guarantees that
farmers and breeders have access to the genetic materials they
need; and
-
ensures that farmers
receive a fair and equitable share of the benefits derived from
their work.
Furthermore, a
Global Crop Diversity Trust is being established to strengthen the
capacity of developing countries to preserve agricultural
biodiversity and maintain comprehensive gene banks. Increasingly,
consumers are also demanding more diverse produce, thus
recognizing the value of biodiversity.
Even though
llivestock is making an increasingly significant contribution to
food security and rural development, animal genetic diversity is
also rapidly
eroding. Of the 6 300 known animal breeds, 1 350 are endangered or
already extinct.
Forests are among the world's most important repositories of
biological diversity but their cover is decreasing at an alarming
rate. Forests provide food for families and livestock, energy in
the form of fuel wood and various products such as essential oils,
gums, resins and latex, and medicines and pharmaceuticals, which
contribute to the diversification of the local economy.
Biodiversity in the world's oceans, lakes and rivers also plays a
vital role in food security and rural livelihoods. However, it is
being threatened by over-fishing, environmentally damaging fishing
practices, the introduction of alien species and habitat
destruction.
Preserving biodiversity also means protecting different types of
ecosystems, including those where are living insects, bacteria,
microbes, fungi and other organisms, as well as bees and birds
which interact in complex ways with the soil and plants. In
addition, in most fields, over 90 percent of pests are killed by
beneficial species thus contributing to reduce the use of chemical
pesticides.
Today we are
celebrating our planet's tremendous wealth of biodiversity and the
promise it holds for eliminating world hunger. For this to happen
requires the commitment of everyone and, as in nature, our
strength lies in our diversity.
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