The economics of agrobiodiversity conservation for food security under climate change

Subsistence-based and natural resource-dependent societies are especially vulnerable to climate change. In such contexts, food security needs to be strengthened by investing in the adaptability of food systems. This paper looks into the role of agrobiodiversity conservation for food security in the face of climate change. It identifies agrobiodiversity as a key public good that delivers necessary services for human wellbeing. We argue that the public values provided by agrobiodiversity conservation need to be demonstrated and captured. We offer an economic perspective of this challenge and highlight ways of capturing at least a subset of the public values of agrobiodiversity to help adapt to and reduce the vulnerability of subsistence based economies to climate changeClimate change, adaptation, agrobiodiversity, economic incentives, resilience, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q18, Q24, Q54,

Agrobiodiversity and Its Conservation in Nepal

Nepal is a part of the world\u27s biodiversity hotspot and ranks the 49th in the world for biodiversity. Agrobiodiversity and its conservation status were studied through literature review, field survey, key informant survey and focus group discussion. Results of field implementation of some good practices and action research were also documented. Among 24,300 total species in the country, 28% are agricultural genetic resources (AGRs), termed as agrobiodiversity. Agrobiodiversity has six components (crops, forages, livestock, aquatic, insects and microorganisms) and four sub-components (domesticated, semi-domesticated, wild relatives and wild edible) in Nepal. Agrobiodiversity on each component exists at agroecosystem, species, variety/breed/biotype/race/strain, genotype and allele levels, within an altitude range from 60 to 5,000 masl. There are 12 agroecosystems supporting 1026 species under crop component, 510 under forage, 35 under livestock, 250 under the aquatic animal, 17 under aquatic plant, 3,500 under insect and 800 under microorganism. An estimated loss of agrobiodiversity is 40%, however, farmers have reported up to 100% loss of AGRs in some areas for a particular species. Conservation of agrobiodiversity has been initiated since 1986. Four strategies namely ex-situ, on-farm, in-situ and breeding have been adopted for conservation and sustainable utilization of AGRs. Eighty good practices including process, methods and actions for managing agrobiodiversity have been in practice and these practices come under five conservation components (sensitization, method and approach, accelerator, value and enabling environment). Within the country, 18,765 accessions of AGRs have been conserved in different kinds of banks. A total of 24,683 accessions of Nepalese crops, forages and microbes have been conserved in different International and foreign genebanks. Some collections are conserved as safety duplication and safety backup in different CGIARs\u27 banks and World Seed Vault, Korea. Two global databases (GENESYS and EURISCO) have maintained 19,200 Nepalese accessions. Geographical Information System, Climate Analog Tool and biotechnological tools have been applied for better managing AGRs. Many stakeholders need to further concentrate on the conservation and utilization of AGRs. Global marketing of some native AGRs is necessary for sustaining agriculture and attracting young generations as well as conserving them through use

A collaborative tool for mobilizing knowledge in agrobiodiversity and the interface with climate change: the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research

Poster presented at 2nd ANAFE International Symposium. Lilongwe (Malawi), Jul 200

Agricultural Sustainability - Progress and Prospects in Crop Research

Agricultural Sustainability: Progress and Prospects in Crop Research, covers different aspects of sustainability in a holistic manner and presents a wide range of subject areas by agricultural experts from across the world. The book offers different points of view including important topics in agrobiodiversity, biotechnology, marginal crops, industrial approaches, resource conservation, nutritional enhancement of crops and crop products, and explores economic and political issues

Diversifying agriculture in post-conflict areas: 7 things we can change

Agricultural biodiversity is central to current and future food and nutrition and security needs in Uganda. Unfortunately, in some parts of the country, such as Teso and Acholi sub regions, which faced up to two decades of conflict, this diversity is increasingly under threat from practices such as charcoal making and land clearing for agriculture. As a result, there is reduced investment in longer term sustainable farming practices that conserve and promote diversity. This contributes to high food insecurity and lack of access to diverse diets especially among vulnerable groups such as Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) (15-49 years) and children under five years. Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices can promote agrobiodiversity and enhance nutritional outcomes and quality of life of vulnerable groups. This brief gives a summary of findings and insights from research conducted in 2018 by Bioversity International and Trocaire, Uganda, working closely with a number of partners including National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), Makerere University and Ministry of Health-Uganda (Division of Nutrition). It points out interventions and actions that can be implemented in culturally

The Effect of HIV/AIDS Driven Labor Organization on Agrobiodiversity: an Empirical Study in Ethiopia

Improved micronutrient intake contributes to delaying the progression of HIV into AIDS and to reducing HIV infection rates. Higher agrobiodiversity in the homegarden contributes to improving the nutritional status of farm households. Farm households with HIV/AIDS affected members observe a decrease in labor supply and productivity causing them to reallocate labor. The reallocation of labor may result in change in agrobiodiversity. Sharecropping is often used to alleviate labor shortage in agricultural production. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the implications of HIV/AIDS on agrobiodiversity through sharecropping arrangements. The study is based on a survey among 205 farm households in the Jimma zone of South Western Ethiopia. Results show that HIV/AIDS driven increase in sharecropping has a positive effect on perennial and overall agrobiodiversity in the homegarden. This offers additional intervention options to mitigate the impacts of HIV/AIDS among farm households.agrobiodiversity, Ethiopia, HIV/AIDS, labor organization, sharecropping, Farm Management, Labor and Human Capital,

Strategies to valorise agrobiodiversity

The current food value chain is characterised by a highly standardised offer produced in an increasingly monotonous agricultural system. In parallel, there is a growing interest among consumers for traditional or regional crop varieties. The conservation of these crops is often done by civil society organisations like Arche Noah, Pro Specie Rara, Rete Semi Rurali, Réseau Semence Paysanne or Red Andaluza de Semillas. Some networks sell their food products in local niche markets, specialised stores and supermarkets. To increase their visibility, some producer groups in the networks are interested in developing or improving a label to valorise agrobiodiversity to the consumer. Based on a representative consumer survey in four European countries, we show that consumer awareness with respect to traditional, old varieties is low but the interest in "Diversifood", defined as more diverse, locally adapted, healthy and tasty produce, is substantial. Therefore, we state, that the availability of a label to valorise agrobiodiversity would respond to consumer needs and increase the visibility of the work done by the networks – but only if it is embedded in an appropriate communication strategy aimed at raising consumer awareness about agrobiodiversity

Funkcionālās agrobioloģiskās daudzveidības pasākumu novērtēšanas metodes ābeļu dārzos Latvijā

Overview about methods to evaluate functional agrobiodiversity in apple orchards in Latvia