Marketing Forest and Farm Biodiversity

28/02/2020

Over 1000 delegates met between 24-29 February 2020 at FAO HQ for the second meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. A “Biodiversity for Food Diversity” fair took place in FAO HQ Atrium.

The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) together with the Forestry Department of FAO held a booth called “Baskets of products – Marketing Forest and Farm Biodiversity” in the exhibition. The booth promoted Forest and Farm Biodiversity and the upcoming International Day of Forests which will celebrate Forests and Biodiversity on 21 March 2020. Many products from forest and farm producer organizations support by the FFF, such as coffee from Bolivia, cacao from Ghana and Togo, soaps from Togo, essential oils from Viet Nam, Manioc flour from Togo and handicraft from indigenous women in Guatemala were displayed.

In the name of efficiency, modern agricultural systems often favor specialization. The monocultural production of commodities can exclude farmers – especially women and indigenous communities – who grow local products.

Forests are home to about 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Maintaining biodiversity in agriculture and marketing diverse products from forest and farm landscapes can create a win-win situation for otherwise marginalized people, increasing resilience and reducing risks in the face of rapid environmental and climatic change.

One of the keys for doing so is the humble basket.

By adding diversity to their shopping baskets, consumers worldwide will not only be improving the nutrition of their families, they will be supporting sustainable food production systems, resilient landscapes, and smallholder farmers who are the guardians of biodiversity.

The Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), a partnership between FAO, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and AgriCord are working together towards this goal.