Agricultural biodiversity, sometimes called 'agro biodiversity' encompasses the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms which are necessary to sustain key functions of the agro-ecosystem, its structure and processes for, and in support of, food production and food security. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve the web of life that sustains all living things.
The food challenge is one of the most central challenges for the post-2015 world, calling the current food system "a complete morass" for children's nutrition and NCD's in the post-2015 agenda, adding that sustainable nutrition directly relates to sustainable agriculture, health for all, and childhood development and education.
Agricultural biodiversity is absolutely essential to cope with the predicted impacts of climate change. Lack of agricultural biodiversity is a critical issue particularly in the developing world in which the diets consist mainly of starchy staples, with less access to nutrient-rich sources of food such as animal proteins, fruits and vegetables. Farmers, scientists and policy-makers should work together to re-establish traditional land management regimes where agriculture and conservation practices co-exist and complement each other. Small-holder farmers, often women, are the custodians of a significant portion of the world's agricultural biodiversity, playing a vital role in managing natural ecosystems and maintaining traditional knowledge.
Increasing agro biodiversity must be recognized as a pillar for building the robust, resilient and sustainable food production capacity the world will need to feed 9.0 billion people in 2050. This importance is recognized in the MDGs, where goal number one aims at the elimination of acute poverty and hunger, with a target of halving the number of people suffering from acute poverty and hunger by the year 2015.
We should arrange some events where scientists, researchers, nutritionists, development workers, citizens, and policymakers, students and practitioners have to discuss the practical ways to link nutrition and sustainability and move from dialogue to action.
Countries which depend on agriculture should put forward policies that deal with climate change and nutrition as they are interlinked and both benefit from increased biodiversity.
Agricultural policies and projects have traditionally focused only on increasing yields, productivity, and general food availability in countries or regions, relevant in both developing and developed nations. Agricultural systems have never been explicitly designed to promote human health and, instead, mostly focus on increased profitability for farmers and agricultural industries. We need new political incentives and institutional arrangements, particularly in sectors that are traditionally thought of as very distinct -agriculture and health. It is much easier to design an intervention that looks separately at three core sectors like agriculture, health and nutrition, and does not tackle complex problems that involve land, gender, trade and markets, among others.
The proper use of this agro biodiversity is an essential component of sustainable development. We should introduce micronutrient-rich crop and distribute it to farming households in Bangladesh. The public and private sectors need to address agricultural bio-diversification to increase productivity, reduce risks, and tackle unstable weather and markets. It will be vital that public-private partnerships continue to find ways to collaborate and to ensure that these learnings are put into practice. The ongoing research will continue to examine the relationships between biodiversity and nutrition from different angles and at different levels.
We should contact awareness and motivational interface with community to create awareness on organic agriculture practices and value of on farm agro diversity. Communities also play a major role. By giving communities the tools and knowledge to make choices, a resilient food and nutrition system can be developed that ensures environmental integrity, economic self-reliance and social wellbeing. We should provide exposure and training support on organic farming techniques by strengthening the allied agricultural activities for support to integrate agriculture. Interest and motivation of farmers is essential for protecting agricultural biodiversity. Farmers need to be educated, facilitated and assisted for protection of agricultural biodiversity.
Whatever approach or combination of approaches used - technology transfer, advisory, facilitation, or learning - agricultural extension programmes should be re-examined and adjusted so that they are made to contribute to creating and maintaining food security as well as biodiversity conservation on lands beyond the fences of officially designated protected areas.
However, an important challenge is that of educating the biodiversity and agricultural researchers to genuinely engage with local knowledge. Understanding the general objectives and approaches of agricultural extension will better shed light on the role that extension can play in addressing household food security concerns.
This article acknowledges that while the approach is relatively straightforward, it is a complex process that one should not attempt to over-simplify. It will require deliberate, conscious effort sustained over time.
So, let's start thinking about the delightful future; the future begins with us.
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