Nutrition and biodiversity

Nutrition and biodiversity converge to a common path leading to food security and sustainable development. They feature directly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger; and ensure environmental sustainability. In combination, a nutrition and biodiversity initiative provides the very foundation for achieving these MDGs.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Bioversity International (formerly IPGRI), is leading a new international initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition under the umbrella of the Convention of Biological Diversity. The overall aim is to promote the sustainable use of biodiversity in programmes contributing to food security and human nutrition, and to thereby raise awareness of the importance of this link for sustainable development.