“Our agriculture and food systems must undergo fundamental transformation in order to meet the global food security and nutrition challenge”, said Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations Office (Geneva) in a virtual event held yesterday. Emphasizing the importance of biodiversity in food security, she referred to the many solutions that exist, which must be scaled up in order to halt and reverse the current decline.

Ms Rodrigues-Birkett was speaking during a virtual event to discuss the findings of the Living Planet Report 2020, a flagship report published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) every two years. This year the report focused on “Transforming Food Systems for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet.” 

“The report is a SOS for nature”, said Director-General WWF International, Marco Lambertini.  He highlighted that habitat loss, destruction and degradation are largely driven by food production and the way we consume. ”However, there is hope, as never before have stakeholders and society been so aware of the impacts and the need to change our food systems,” he concluded.

The report reveals a two-thirds decline in wildlife populations on average since 1970. Some of the key causes include environmental destruction - such as deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and the illegal wildlife trade - which contributes to virus outbreaks like COVID-19, the report says.“ 

In order to achieve a true path of agricultural and food system transformation, Ms Rodrigues-Birkett underscored that while agriculture is considered the problem, it is also part of the solution in halting and reversing the declines in biodiversity. Climate--smart agriculture, agriculture solutions that reduce agri-footprint, are some examples, she said.

Also speaking in the meeting was João Campari, Global Practice Leader, Food, WWF International. Mr Campari emphasized that the way our food systems operate is not only bad for nature, it is also bad for society and the  economy. Food waste and hunger, bad diets and obesity are some of the examples of the contradictions. 

FAO’s work on biodiversity aims at supporting countries in balancing the need to improve the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of the poor, especially in rural areas, while at the same time preventing the degradation, contamination and loss of natural resources, and building resilience to climate change.   (Find out more in the resources links listed below).

Watch the webcast of the webinar here. 

Recommended Readings on the topic

Tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators 2020. A report on the indicators under FAO custodianship

The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2018

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020

The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture (FAO, 2019)