Biodiversity for SustainableFood and Nutrition Security

Emile FrisonDirector General, Bioversity International

Biodiversity and Rural Development in ACP Countries

Brussels, 10 March 2010

Hunger is increasing

With the current global economic crisis, the food price crisis of 2007-2008 andclimate change, reversing this trend will be a significant challenge

Malnutrition and famine

1020 million peoplehungry

1100 million peopleOverweight

More than 1 person out of 3 is malnourished

Nutrition

• Hidden hunger: missing micronutrients– More than 2 billion worldwide– Mostly women and children

• Double burden: diseases of “affluence”– Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease,

cancers

Diversity of Diet

• Diverse diet protects• Indigenous/traditional species/varieties offer

nutritional advantages

Promote local agricultural biodiversity for improved diets and health Also more sustainable

Focus on neglected species

• Wide range of species, not all cultivated• Indigenous, locally adapted,

environmentally friendly, nutritious• Perceived as backward• Abandoned by scientists and ignored by

policy makers• Bioversity has slowly promoted and

expanded to build a global project

African leafy vegetables

Per 100 gm

Amaranth(leaf)

Cleome Nightshade Cabbage

Iron mg 8.9 6.0 1.0 0.7

Calcium mg 410 288 442 47

ß carotene ųg 5716 10452 3660 100

Kenya• Partnered with Family

Concern (NGO) and Uchumi Supermarkets

• Traditional leafy vegetables• Seed supply and agronomy• Training for cleaner, high-

quality produce• Leaflets to educate

shoppers• Sales increase 1100% in

two years

Other Studies• India: Nutritious “minor”

millets– Small mills to reduce

drudgery– Local entrepreneurs

develop snacks and biscuits with low GI

• Bolivia– Andean grains

ClimateChange

Adaptability

• Selection and adaptation require diversity• New climates

– New varieties – start breeding now– New crops – social factors unknown

2025 2050 2075

Overlap with historical climate 100%0%

Safeguard the diversity we will need tomorrow: crop wild relatives

• Use existing data for accessions

• Combine with climate change GIS data

• Gap analysis to target collection in endangered areas

Intensificationwithout Simplification

Resilience and Stabilitye

cosy

stem

pro

per

ty(e

.g. p

rod

uct

ion

)

time

resi

stan

ce

resilience

stability

perturbation

Many examples

• Barley in East Germany• Hay meadows in UK• Prairie productivity in US• Rice blast in China• Hanfetz (barley-wheat) in

Eritrea

5 M Ha of mixed cropping in China

Thank you