A Sustainable Improvement in Food and Nutrition Security through Agricultural Biodiversity

Historically, scientific breeding programs have primarily valued agricultural biodiversity as a source of traits that can be used to increase the productivity of livestock breeds and crop varieties. We contend that its potential to contribute to higher productivity is far greater. Agricultural biodiversity in particular needs to be used more widely in order to deliver a more secure food supply in a sustainable manner. A farming system’s productivity can be raised by diversity in kingdoms, species, and genepools under a variety of growing conditions. Additionally, more diverse farming systems are typically more resilient to shocks, which improves food security. Diversity can lessen the effects of pests and diseases while maintaining and boosting soil fertility. Based on a variety of farming systems, a varied diet promotes better health and nutrition while also improving human productivity and standard of living. Not just as a source of traits but also as the foundation of more resilient farm ecosystems, agricultural biodiversity will be crucial to coping with the anticipated effects of climate change. A cross-sectoral approach is necessary to reevaluate the role of agricultural biodiversity in sustainable and secure food production because many of its benefits are cross-cutting political boundaries and manifest at various ecological and human scales. [