BIODIVERSITY ESSENTIAL TO ELIMINATING HUNGER

By Jacques Diouf and - - Reprint | | Print |

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ROME, Oct 1 2004 (IPS) - World Food Day, October 16, presents an occasion to reflect on the nature and extent of hunger in the world today, which affects more than 840 million people, writes Jacques Diouf, Director General of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). In this article, Diouf writes that this year FAO has decided to stress the importance of biodiversity for the world food supply, present and future. What this means is that the conservation of the varieties of plants and animals that we have today is fundamental to preserving an array of essential natural processes, from pollenisation by insects to the regeneration of soil with microorganisms. It also means that we must create the conditions for plants and animals to be better able resist blights and disease. The reduction of biodiversity seriously jeopardises world food security. The food supply is growing ever more vulnerable, and opportunities for growth and innovation are growing fewer in agriculture, the capacity of which to adopt to environmental changes is weakening.

World Food Day, October 16, presents an occasion to reflect on the nature and extent of hunger in the world today, which affects more than 840 million people.

This year the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has decided to stress the importance of biodiversity for the world food supply, present and future.

What this means is that the conservation of the varieties of plants and animals that we have today is fundamental to preserving an array of essential natural processes, from pollenisation by insects to the regeneration of soil with microorganisms. It also means that we must create the conditions for plants and animals to be better able resist blights and disease in order to better insure that all people have access to the foods that they need, always.

Despite the great variety of vegetable and animal species that exist today, fourteen species of mammals and birds supply 90 percent of the animal products people eat, while a mere four species –wheat, rice, corn, and potatoes– provide half of the total vegetable intake.

In addition to conserving the range of existing species, it is very important that we conserve the genetic diversity of each particular species. As we know, modern agriculture encourages farmers to adopt single high-yield strains of plants and animals. However, when biodiversity is compromised, the risk of the erosion of the genetic patrimony increases. In contrast, the use of a wide spectrum of genetic diversity makes it possible to improve plants and animals such that they are able to adapt to changing conditions. In addition, this diversity provides science with the raw materials to produce a range of varieties and crops that are disease-resistant or right for difficult climates.

Given the importance of biodiversity, it is very worrying that it is in danger. The reduction of biodiversity seriously jeopardises world food security. It should be recalled that about three quarters of the genetic diversity of agricultural species have been lost over the last century. Moreover the range of livestock that have made a major contribution to food security and rural development are also rapidly diminishing. From the 6300 known animal species, 1350 are in danger of extinction or are already extinct.

As a consequence, the food supply is turning ever more vulnerable, and opportunities for growth and innovation are becoming fewer in agriculture, the capacity of which to adopt to environmental changes like global warming or the appearance of new blights or diseases is weakening.

For this reason, global efforts to conserve plants and animals in gene banks, zoos, and botanical gardens are of utmost importance. Efforts on various fronts to conserve the biodiversity of the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers are also crucial as these are threatened by over-fishing and environmental damage. We must also do everything possible to save our forests, which are immensely useful to us but are shrinking at an alarming rate. Forests provide food to both people and animals, energy in the form of wood, and essential oils, rubber, resins, and latex, which contribute to the diversification of local economies.

The preservation of biodiversity itself implies the protection of various kinds of ecosystems, including habitats for insects, microbes, fungi, and other organisms, as well as bees and birds, whose activity is intricately interconnected with plants and the land.

Today we are celebrating the immense wealth of biological diversity and its potential to eradicate hunger from the world. We hope that this World Food Day will provide an optimum occasion to honour all farmers, fishermen, shepherds, and breeders, men and women from around the world, who for the 10,000 years since the advent of agriculture have protected and enriched the great patrimony of genetic resources. We also hope that on this day we will focus on the 840 million people suffering from hunger and recognise that biodiversity is a key ally in our survival. The protection of biodiversity is something we cannot allow ourselves to forget. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)