Agrobiodiversity in food systems, ecosystems and education systems

1. Agrobiodiversity in food systems, ecosystems and education systems Per Rudebjer Bioversity International Presented at regional workshop on Learning agrobiodiversity: options for universities in Sub-Saharan Africa 21-23 January, 2009, ICRAF House, Nairobi, Kenya

2. What is agrobiodiversity? Why is it important? How should it be taught? Abilities for managing agricultural biodiversity?

3. What is agrobiodiversity? • Subset of biological diversity of relevance to food and agriculture • Managed • Plants, animals, trees, domesticated by farmers • Improved varieties • Trees outside forests • Wild • Forests • Crop wild relatives • Aquatic systems • Agro-ecosystems • Ecological services • Animal, plants, micro-organisms • Pollinators • Nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, etc. • Local knowledge

4. Perceptions of agrobiodiversity Plant breeding

5. Perceptions of agrobiodiversity? Conservation, genebanks

6. Perceptions of agrobiodiversity National parks http://www.flickr.com/photos/betobeto/

7. Perceptions of agrobiodiversity Farmers’ traditional farming systems

8. Traditional Domestication by farmers during millennia Traditional knowledge Low input, risk mitigation Informal seed systems Local/national markets Integrated market chains Neglected by policy makers Limited investment in innovation and education Modern Advanced breeding, ‘designer’ varieties Scientific knowledge High input & productivity Commercial seeds Global commodities Specialization Policy-intensive Dominates R&D investments Food systems: Modern vs. traditional Millions of farmers depending on traditional systemsCustodians of important agrobiodiversity

9. Modern varieties replacing landraces

10. Domination of few commodity crops 50 % : Maize, wheat, rice 45 % : 27 species • 30 species provide 95% of our food • Maize, wheat, rice, provide 50 % of global energy intake • 7000 plant species have been used for food or animal feed • Many neglected, underutilized species

11. Animal genetic resources 20% of the worlds’ breeds at risk 9% extinct

12. 0.22%/year 0.64%/year 0.62%/year 0.18%/year Forest genetic resourcesChange in extent of forest 1990 - 2005 Africa accounting for half of worlds’ loss of forests Source: FAO FRA 2005

13. Forest genetic resources • 7% of native tree species in African countries endangered of vulnerable • South Africa: 54 of 649 species • Democratic republic of Congo: 51 of 870 species • Kenya 67 endagered/vulnarable species • Little known about species’ ecology, populations • Genetic erosion Source: IUCN red list

14. Population growth Intensification of agriculture Land conversion, degradation Supermarkets & changing food habits Food systems and genetic erosion

15. Can our food systems make better use a broader range of agrobiodiversity? • Growing interest in exotic food • Organic agriculture, fair trade • Specialty food, e.g. cacao or coffee • Neglected and Underutilized Species • Minor millets; African leafy vegetables; Local fruit trees • Crops for the Future launched in 2008 • Participatory breeding of traditional varieties

16. Agrobiodiversity in ecosystems • Environmental services • Continued adaptation and evolution • Pollination • Soil processes, carbon and nutrient cycling • Watershed functions • Cultural and aesthetic values

17. Dynamic change, complex drivers Scale Externalities & trade-offs Ensuring continued provision of ecosystems services • Ecosystem • Species • Within species Space Time

18. Link to international conventions and processes • CBD: 1996 - programme on agrobiodiversity; Platform on Agrobiodiversity Research (PAR) • UNCCD: farmers’ management of diversity in dryland areas • UNFCCC: agrobiodiversity for adaptation to climate change

19. Link to international conventions and processes • FAO Commission on Agricultural Biodiversity • International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, 2002 • Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources 2007 • ‘education and training in order to build sustainable capacity in all priority areas is required’ • State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources • UN Year of Biodiversity 2010

20. Options to slow down, or reverse the decline of ecosystems services? • Landscape approach to biodiversity conservation • Schemes for Payments for Environmental Services • Biodiversity, watershed functions, carbon storage • Agro-tourism • Making better use of a broader range of agricultural biodiversity

21. Agrobiodiversity in educational systems • Agrobiodiveristy: a fairly new concept • Only recently started to appear, in a rather limited way, in some university curricula • Elements of ABD taught in various courses, but no established approach

22. How is agrobiodiversity taught? • Programmes/courses oriented towards a specific disciplines • E.g. seed science, plant breeding, crop science, agricultural economics, horticulture, biotechnology, agronomy • Less scope for holistic and multidisciplinary agrobiodiversity processes

23. Agrobiodiversity: emerging areas of learning • Plant breeding for a warmer world with more people • Breeding for low-input agriculture • Participatory plant breeding and varietal selection • Nutrition, health and food systems • Market chains for neglected, underutilized species

24. Agrobiodiversity: emerging areas of learning • 3 levels of diversity: agroecosystems, species and within species • Ecological and socio-economic processes that connect these levels • Functions of fragmented landscapes, geneflow • Soil biodiversity • Payments for environmental services

25. Context for learning • Uncertainty and evolving knowledge base • Combination scientific and traditional knowledge • Participation and focus on farmer’s realities • Relevant practical learning experiences

26. Options to be validated in this workshop • Introducing elements of agrobiodiversity in existing courses and programmes, at different levels • Agrobiodiversity in next curriculum review? • Scope for Master programmes in agrobiodiversity?

27. Partnerships for innovation FAO CoL EAPGREN Thank you!