View
214
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Biodiversity for SustainableFood and Nutrition Security
Emile FrisonDirector General, Bioversity International
Biodiversity and Rural Development in ACP Countries
Brussels, 10 March 2010
Hunger is increasing
With the current global economic crisis, the food price crisis of 2007-2008 andclimate change, reversing this trend will be a significant challenge
Malnutrition and famine
1020 million peoplehungry
1100 million peopleOverweight
More than 1 person out of 3 is malnourished
Nutrition
• Hidden hunger: missing micronutrients– More than 2 billion worldwide– Mostly women and children
• Double burden: diseases of “affluence”– Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease,
cancers
Diversity of Diet
• Diverse diet protects• Indigenous/traditional species/varieties offer
nutritional advantages
Promote local agricultural biodiversity for improved diets and health Also more sustainable
Focus on neglected species
• Wide range of species, not all cultivated• Indigenous, locally adapted,
environmentally friendly, nutritious• Perceived as backward• Abandoned by scientists and ignored by
policy makers• Bioversity has slowly promoted and
expanded to build a global project
African leafy vegetables
Per 100 gm
Amaranth(leaf)
Cleome Nightshade Cabbage
Iron mg 8.9 6.0 1.0 0.7
Calcium mg 410 288 442 47
ß carotene ųg 5716 10452 3660 100
Kenya• Partnered with Family
Concern (NGO) and Uchumi Supermarkets
• Traditional leafy vegetables• Seed supply and agronomy• Training for cleaner, high-
quality produce• Leaflets to educate
shoppers• Sales increase 1100% in
two years
Other Studies• India: Nutritious “minor”
millets– Small mills to reduce
drudgery– Local entrepreneurs
develop snacks and biscuits with low GI
• Bolivia– Andean grains
ClimateChange
Adaptability
• Selection and adaptation require diversity• New climates
– New varieties – start breeding now– New crops – social factors unknown
2025 2050 2075
Overlap with historical climate 100%0%
Safeguard the diversity we will need tomorrow: crop wild relatives
• Use existing data for accessions
• Combine with climate change GIS data
• Gap analysis to target collection in endangered areas
Intensificationwithout Simplification
Resilience and Stabilitye
cosy
stem
pro
per
ty(e
.g. p
rod
uct
ion
)
time
resi
stan
ce
resilience
stability
perturbation
Many examples
• Barley in East Germany• Hay meadows in UK• Prairie productivity in US• Rice blast in China• Hanfetz (barley-wheat) in
Eritrea
5 M Ha of mixed cropping in China
Thank you