Record Details

Contributions of biodiversity to the sustainable intensification of food production – Thematic study for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture

OAR@ICRISAT

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/11207/
 
Title Contributions of biodiversity to the sustainable intensification of food production – Thematic study for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture
 
Creator Dawson, I K
Attwood, S J
Park, S E
Jamnadass, R
Powell, W
Sunderland, T
Kindt, R
McMullin, S
Hoebe, P N
Baddeley, J
Staver, C
Vadez, V
Carsan, S
Roshetko, J M
Amri, A
Karamura, E
Karamura, D
van Breugel, P
Hossain, M E
Phillips, M
Ashok Kumar, A
Lilleso, J P B
Benzie, J
Sabastian, G E
Ekesa, B
Ocimati, W
Graudal, L
 
Subject Agriculture
Biodiversity
Food Production
Food Security
 
Description Biodiversity supports sustainable food production, although recognition of its roles has
been relatively neglected in the sustainable intensification literature. In the current study,
the roles of biodiversity in sustainable food production are considered, assessing how these
roles can be measured, the current state of knowledge and opportunities for intervention.
The trajectory of global food production, and the challenges and opportunities this presents
for the roles of biodiversity in production, are also considered, as well as how biodiversitybased
interventions fit within wider considerations for sustainable food systems.
The positive interactions between a diverse array of organisms, including annual crops,
animal pollinators, trees, micro-organisms, livestock and aquatic animals, support food
production globally. To support these interactions, a range of interventions related to
access to materials and practices are required. For annual crops, major interventions include
breeding crops for more positive crop–crop interactions, and the integration of a wider range
of crops into production systems. For animal pollinators, major interventions include the
introduction of pollinator populations into production landscapes and the protection and
improvement of pollinator habitat. For trees, a major required intervention is the greater
integration of perennial legumes into farmland. For micro-organisms, the implementation
of agronomic practices that support beneficial crop-microbe interactions is crucial. For
livestock production, breed and crop feedstock diversification are essential, and the
implementation of improved methods for manure incorporation into cropland. Finally, in
the case of aquatic production, it is essential to support the wider adoption of multi-trophic
production systems and to diversify crop- and animal-based feed resources. These and other
interventions, and the research needs around them, are discussed.
Looking to the future, understanding the drivers behind trends in food systems is essential
for determining the options for biodiversity in supporting sustainable food production.
The increased dominance of a narrow selection of foods globally indicates that efforts to
more sustainably produce these foods are crucial. From a biodiversity perspective, this
means placing a strong emphasis on breeding for resource use efficiency and adaptation to
climate change. It also means challenging the dominance of these foods through focusing on
productivity improvements for other crop, livestock and aquaculture species, so that they
can compete successfully and find space within production systems.
New biodiversity-based models that support food production need not only to be
productive but to be profitable. Thus, as well as describing appropriate production system
management practices that enhance production and support the environment, the labour,
knowledge, time required to operationalize, and other costs of new production approaches,
must be considered and minimized.
To support the future roles of biodiversity in sustainable food production, we recommend
that particular attention be given to the longitudinal analysis of food sectors to determine
how the diversity of foods consumed from these sectors has changed over time. Analysis
is already available for crops, but related research is needed for livestock and aquaculture
sectors. This analysis will then support more optimal cross-sectoral interactions, in
terms of the contributions each sector provides to supplying the different components of
human diets.
Additional meta-analyses and synthetic reviews of case studies are required as an evidence
base for biodiversity-based food production system interventions, but future studies
should pay more attention to articulating the potential biases in case study compilation (the
problem of ‘cherry picking’ positive examples) and the measures that have been taken to
minimize such effects.
 
Publisher FAO 2
 
Date 2019
 
Type Book Section
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/11207/1/ca4003en.pdf
Dawson, I K and Attwood, S J and Park, S E and Jamnadass, R and Powell, W and Sunderland, T and Kindt, R and McMullin, S and Hoebe, P N and Baddeley, J and Staver, C and Vadez, V and Carsan, S and Roshetko, J M and Amri, A and Karamura, E and Karamura, D and van Breugel, P and Hossain, M E and Phillips, M and Ashok Kumar, A and Lilleso, J P B and Benzie, J and Sabastian, G E and Ekesa, B and Ocimati, W and Graudal, L (2019) Contributions of biodiversity to the sustainable intensification of food production – Thematic study for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture. In: The State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture 2. FAO 2, Italy 2. ISBN 978-9251312704