Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture

Biodiversity provides the raw materials, the combinations of genes, which produce the plant varieties and animal breeds upon which agriculture depends. Climate change threatens biodiversity and impacts ecosystem functions, including those important for food supply. By the end of the century, climate change is expected to become the main driver of biodiversity. Then, the resilience of many ecosystems is likely to be exceeded resulting from changes in climate and associated disturbances (e.g. droughts, fire, pests, ocean acidification) and other global change drivers. These trends could exacerbate the vulnerability of millions of people who are already food insecure and have a low capacity to adapt to the changing conditions.

On the other hand, biodiversity in all its components (e.g. genes, species, ecosystems) increases resilience to changing environmental conditions and stresses. Thus, the value of genetically-diverse populations and species-rich natural and agricultural ecosystems will increase in future with the need for adaptation to climate change.

Activities

FAO hosts the Secretariat of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, where Members discuss issues and action plans for the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity for food and agriculture and support capacity-building in improved management and conservation of land, water and genetic resources, agricultural water management, water use efficiency and productivity, and best practices for water use and conservation, through the continuum from water sources to final uses.

FAO also promotes the use of indigenous and locally-adapted plants and animals as well as the selection and multiplication of varieties and autochthonous races adapted or resistant to adverse conditions.

Key FAO Links

FAO Biodiversity
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources

External Links

Platform for Agrobiodiversity

Contact

Page content: Linda.Collette@fao.org (AGPS)
Plant Production and Protection Division: AGP-Director@fao.org

Publications

FAO. 2008. Climate change and biodiversity for food and agriculture. High Level Conference on World Food Security - Background Paper HLC/08/BAK/3. FAO. (available at ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/013/ai784e.pdf.)
FAO. 2007. The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome, FAO. (available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/y6000e/y6000e00.htm.)
FAO. 2007. Tropical crop-livestock systems in conservation agriculture-The Brazilian Experience. 5, Rome, FAO. (available at http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Newpub/landers/landers.htm.)
FAO. 2006. A conceptual framework for analyzing the links between poverty reduction and payments for environmental services. Rome, ESA working paper 06-15. (available at ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/ah633e/ah633e00.pdf.)
FAO. 2005. Biodiversity in Grasslands:Current Changes and Scenarios for the Future. In Grasslands: Developments Opportunities Perspectives, Rome, FAO, Science Publishers. (available at http://www.fao.org/icatalog/search/dett.asp?aries_id=106882&ch_lang=en.)
FAO. 2005. Organic Grassland: Principles, practices and potential. In Grasslands: Developments Opportunities Perspectives, Rome, FAO and Science Publishers. (available at http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Newpub/perspectives/younie_intro.htm.)
FAO. 2005. Sekhukhuneland Grasslands: A tresure house of biodiversity. South AFrica, University of SouthAfrica. (available at http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Show/SAfrica/sapaper/saessay.htm.)
FAO. 2003. From Indifference to Awareness-Encountering Biodiversity in the Semi-Arid Rangelands of the Syrian Arab Republic. In FAO Inter-Departamental Working Group on Biological Diversity for Food and Agriculture, ( ISBN 92-5-105054-6), (available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y5097e/y5097e00.htm.)
last updated: Wednesday, November 12, 2008