“AGRO-BIODIVERSITY AND FOOD SECURITY”

BY M. A. MUNZARA-CHAWIRA

Community Technology Development Trust-Zimbabwe

OUTLINE OF PAPER PRESENTATION

• Introduction• Contribution of agro-biodiversity to food

security/sovereignty• Africa-CBDC Programme• Challenges of Conserving agro-

biodiversity• Threats to Biodiversity Conservationa) IPRb) GURTS• Conclusion

INTRODUCTION• Agro-biodiversity-component of biodiversity.-combination of life forms and their interactions with

one another and the env.-encompasses diversity of genetic material in

traditional varieties and modern cultivars, crop wild relatives and other wild plant species.

• provide basic necessities of life (food) and are a foundation for human culture-contact with biodiversity around the farmland.

• Critical for food security; nutrition and sustenance of livelihoods.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF AGRO-BIODIVERSITY TO FOOD

SECURITY/SOVEREIGNTY• CBD (2000) programme of work on agric-

biodiversity- recognizes its multiple dimensions and range of goods and services provided.

• Warrants immediate action to promote sustainable use in food security, human health and nutrition as a contribution to MDGs-(Goal 1-poverty alleviation).

• Such action would counteract the simplification of diets, agric systems and ecosystems, and erosion of cultures.

• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report-2006-confirmed contributions to human life and well being-but varieties disappearing fast (Anderson-2007).

CONTRIBUTIONS CONTD-Imposes challenge to the future and sustainable

contributions of PGRFA to many farming communities.

• Link btwn agro-biodiversity and farm household livelihood-focus of I- policy debate and livelihood perspectives.

• Tendency -focus on major food crops- masks importance of plant species diversity to world food supply (RAFI-1999).

• Ignores array of crop diversity maintained by farming communities adaptive to wide range of ecological regions, climatic zones-i.e Teff of Ethiopia-security seed.

CONTRIBUTIONS CONTD

• Farmers nurture plants and animals; carefully select traits, tastes that make food.

• results in a myriad diversity of genetic resources, varieties, breeds used for F&A.

• breeds underpin food security and provide insurance against future threats and ecological changes.

• However, about 30 000 plant species have edible parts-throughout history a total of 7 000 plants collected as food but 20% provides 90% of world’s food (Nijar, 1996).

• Three (wheat, maize & rice) supply more than half of world’s requirements.

• Tens of underutilized crops exist and require strategies and concerted efforts in terms of conservation for future use.

• Its important to realize and recognize critical value of local agro-biodiversity in the context of sustaining livelihoods and food provision at community level.

Seed fair-displaying of local seed varieties-Zimbabwe

Community Biodiversity Development and Conservation Programme (CBDC-Africa)

• CBDC promoting community efforts to utilize resources in a sustainable way and apply local knowledge systems to enhance food security, nutrition and income.

• Projects-Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Mali, Sierra Leone, Mali, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

• Program provides an important platform to help African countries to fulfill their international commitments under CBD, Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, ITPGRFA, GPA which calls for in-situ and on –farm conservation of crops.

CBDC Objectives

• Promote on-farm conservation of PGRs through sustainable utilization, cultivation, collection and storage in community and national genebanks.

• Organise farmers’ technical conferences –national and regional and field days to facilitate information and experience sharing amongst farmers and technocrats.

• Promote activities that promote soil fertility and moisture conservation to improve crop productivity on-farm.

Wheat Varieties-Ethiopia

Agro-biodiversity and nutrition

The Challenge of Agro-biodiversity Conservation and context for CBDC

• For many years both during colonial and post colonial era, agriculture and natural resource management programmes in Africa excluded communities from participating in the conservation, development and management of agro-biodiversity.

• Result-unsustainable land use practices and neglect of IKS and skills contributed heavily to loss of biodiversity.

• In order to conserve biodiversity and protect sensitive ecosystems, CBDC-Africa program has committed itself to support and strengthen farmer-led and community based efforts in the conservation, development and use of agro-biodiversity to improve food security and quality of life of communities.

CHALLENGES OF CONSERVING AGRO-BIODIVERSITY

• The recognition of farmers contributions by the CBD highlights global concerns to agro-biodiversity loss.

• World Watch List of Domestic Animal Diversity- 35% of mammalian breeds are at a risk of extinction.

• 1996 state of World’s PGRFA –significant loss of PGRFA-disappearances of species, plant varieties and gene complexes.

• Consequences affect the poor who depend on these for their livelihoods.

• 2nd Global Biodiversity Outlook-intensification of fishing-decline in high value fish such as tuna, sea bass and sword fish.

• Demand for resources now exceed biological capacity of the earth to renew.

• Trend requires countries to review and develop new consumptive approaches and strategies that are sustainable.

CHALLENGES CONTD• CBD COP6 agreed-achieve by 2010 reduction in

biodiversity loss-national, regional and international level.

• Assumption-will contribute to poverty alleviation.

• Strategies adopted at WSSD in 2002 but there is need to take stock and continue to assess progress to date.

• All aspects of biodiversity require concerted efforts and political commitment from all concerned to collectively conserve and utilize-save for future generations.

CBD indicators on assessments• CBD indicators on assessments-promoting components of biodiversity;-promoting sustainable use;-addressing threats to biodiversity;-Ensuring fair and equitable benefit sharing;-Ensuring provision of adequate resources;-Protecting TK• Challenge-countries to report on how they are

protecting biodiversity loss; measures taken; implementation schedules and success realized to date if any.

ACTION POINTS• Critical to undertake studies on diff levels of

support provided to in situ and ex-situ agro-biodiversity conservation.

• Data can be used to determine resource allocation trends, priorities and impacts.

• Will facilitate further understanding of national, regional and I support mechanisms, linkages, processes, gaps, practices provided for agro-biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

• Need to assess how farmers, agric communities continue to manage agro-biodiversity in diff farming systems.

HOUSEHOLD USE PERSPECTIVES-HardonBaars(2000)

• Food production –Africa- thru subsistence and traditional agriculture by smallholder farmers-over 70% of the population.

• Production env-characterized by a complex socio-economic condition, insecure price structure and seed (planting material) is the cheapest factor of production accessible to the farmer.

• Agro-biodiversity contributes to community livelihood in terms of food security; nutrition and health.

• How-depends on household practices/strategies;-acquisition/allocation of resources;-Decision making involvement;-Food related activities (capacity)-production,

storage, processing, preparation, consumption.

Household use perspectives contd

• Such capacity depends on the socio-economic position of the family.

• Also affected by human (labour, time, knowledge, access) and non-human resources (land use system, capital, agro-biodiversity, access/control)

• Operating in an env with biophysical (biodiversity) and societal factors (information; markets, R&D, policies on exsitu and in-situ conservation)-facilitate or constrain capacity to produce.

CHALLENGES CONTD

• Outcomes of COP 8 and 3rd meeting of the Parties of the Biosafety Protocol indicated lack of progress in achieving overall objective of conserving, utilizing and equitable sharing of benefits from biodiversity.

• Contentious issues- I regime on ABS;• No consensus on field trials on GURTS;• Agreeing on forms of IPR of TK and GRs.• Documentation of LMOs shipment for food, feed

and processing.

THREATS TO AGRO_BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

• a) IPRs-TRIPS• Seeks to globalize patent paradigm-individual

ownership of property• Community Ownership in traditional societies• Individual vs collective rights problematic• TK is about “open access” and “collective rights”• IPR -“Exclusive access” and “Individual rights”• Non-recognition of TK leads to loss of agro-

biodiversity.• marginalizes those who depend on these

biomaterials-seed diversity=food security.• Many farmers depend on locally produced

farmers’ varieties for seed.

IPRs CONTD• Food security is linked to good and sufficient local

seed supply, sufficient soil and water management.

• Disappearance lead to food insecurity of farmers-destruction of their food base.

• With ¾ of world’s population living below poverty datum line are involved in agric, anything that increases the prices of seeds could be damaging.

• Food security is more than ensuring adequate amount of food cultivated or available on market.

-includes food availability; appropriate utilization and access to available food.

-For an IPR regime to adequately address the problem of food security it must address these tripartite issues.

Family collection in community seed bank

IPRs –What should CBD do?• There is need for CBD to recognize that:-TK , innovation and practices are important to the

conservation of biological diversity.-local communities have a close and traditional dependence

on biological materials.-traditional technologies and practices are responsible for the

creation , dev and dynamic maintenance of agro-biodiversity.

• work with all users of natural resources-farmers; livestock keepers, forest dwellers who are principal managers of terrestrial ecosystems in dev sustainable agro-ecological production systems that enhance diversity.

• FRs should be a requisite in agro-biodiversity conservation.

NB: Practices ensure ecological adaptability and food security in varied environments.

GURTS• COP 8-activities and campaigns by CSOs-ban

terminator technologies out of life sciences.• Technology renders seeds sterile. • Farmers cant modify and retain sterile seeds.• Agro-biodiversity already threatened by recurrent

droughts and changing climatic changes.• More than 90% of crop varieties already lost from

farmers’ fields.• Urgent actions needed to reverse these trends in

situ and ex-situ.• Implement actions to promote both in-situ and ex-

situ strategies as they implement each other.

GURTS-Action Points• Reaffirm Decision V/5 of COP 8 Decisions-gvts,

stakeholders should continue:-respecting TK and FRs to preservation of seeds

under traditional cultivation;-undertake research on impacts of GURTs-socio-

economic impacts;-disseminate results of studies on the impacts on

smallholder farmers, indigenous and local communities and these should be available in a transparent manner through clearing house mechanisms.

CONCLUSION• Importance of agro-biodiversity as a source of

food security cannot be over emphasized.• Need to ensure the diversity is protected from

international threats.• CBD should ensure that there is a prohibition on

biopiracy and patents on living organisms incl dev of sterile seeds.

• Cntd access to GRs, conservation and dev of agric biodiversity are essential components in the fight for food sovereignty.

• CBD to harmonise its efforts with the ITPGRFA in involving farmers-important for contd creation of diversity-important for crop improvement, pest and disease control, and facilitate food security.

CONCLUSION• FRs are essential for farmers to continue conserving

PGRFA for themselves including intra-generational needs.• CBD to recognise that genetic erosion is rapid- principally

caused by increased monoculture and by restrictive practices.

• Otherwise global targets for food security may not be achieved.

• Contracting parties-to recognise the usefulness of PGR contained in farmers’ varieties as essential for use in sustainable food production systems and national breeding programmes.

• Support to farmers should not be given as charity but as a means of meeting the survival needs of human kind today and in the future.

• Need to conserve agro-biodiversity has never been more urgent than it is today in the face of global climate change.

AGRO-BIODIVERSITY MAINTENANCE TRANSLATES

TO FOOD SECURITY

“As the world becomes increasingly aware of high commercial potential of planet earth’s

genetic material, communities are also awakening to the realization that their own

genetic resources are vital national assets that can contribute significantly to local and national economies if well managed and

protected.”T H A N K Y O U!angiem@ctdt.co.zwangiem@justice.com

www.ctdt.co.zw/commutech