Глобальный форум по продовольственной безопасности и питанию (Форум FSN)

Agriculture is the science or practice of farming, including the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products while biodiversity is the variety of different types of life found on the Earth etc. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. In this context Ethiopian agriculture is exemplary to this biological diversity. Ethiopian small holders grow cereals, pulses, oil crops, fruits and vegetable. They also rear cattle, small ruminant, poultry etc. They also multi purpose trees (fodder, tree seedlings. This mixed farm system (crop-livestock and forestry ) contributes to the biodiversity. In Ethiopia, the institute of biodiversity promotes gene bank to prevent genetic erosion. International Livestock research Institute’s Fodder bank also preserves fodder. This is also being promoted at community level to maintain biodiversity. This indeed requires further integration between Academic/research with extension service delivery and farmers as end users and feed back providers. Farmers’ training centers and rural school farms can serve as demonstration centers for enhancing scaling up and achieving wider impact.

I believe that National and International NGOs can play a significant role in the dissemination process. For example the national NGO I represent made little contribution in this regard by promoting nutrition sensitive agriculture, initiating seedling production women groups, vegetable production, poultry keeping, small ruminant rearing, cattle fattening, fuel efficient stove production and agroforestry all of which attempts to reduce pressure on environment. Diversification of crop livestock production and their integration will contribute to mainstreaming of biodiversity into agriculture and producing nutrient rich food (protein, vitamin, carbohydrates etc).