Parviz KoohafkanSenior Honorary Research Fellow

Bioversity International

Diversity for Development

Development for Diversity

Land Degradation, Desertification, Climate Change, Poverty and Migration

Systems at Risk at a Glance

Unique Agricultural Heritage Systems at risk

TOWARDS 2050.....

THE CHALLENGE

AHEAD

Projected Population Increase

Changing Diet, Nutrition, health and biodiversity

• 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

Rice (28 %)

Wheat (28 %)

Maize (33.4 %)

Barley (6.4 %)

Sorghum (2.7 %)

Millet(1.4 %)

GLOBAL GRAIN PRODUCTION, FAO 2008

GRAIN CROP DIVERSITY IN FOOD BASKET

Rice + Wheat + Maize = 89.4 %

Food diversity, Nutrition and Heath

Biodiversity

Malezas en floracion de las familias compositae o umbeliferae atraen insectos beneficos en busca de polen y nectar Loss of functional biodiversity

Towards 2050… food requirements

foodproductionneeds

+60%globally

+100%in developing

countries

addressingfood security and Poverty

WhileSustaining

Natural Resources Base

A Paradigm Shift in Development(Agricultural) Policies

The Challenges Ahead Require:

Best options for the poorest?Great success in the past… but still nearly one billion people are hungry

• Key questions:– to what extent can farmers

improve their food production with low-cost and locally-available technologies and inputs?

–What impacts do these methods have on natural resources and environmental goods and services and the livelihoods of people relying on them?

A major opportunity: Small holders and Family Farming

• Produce the bulk of the global food

• Are the largest number of stewards for the – environment and its services including biodiversity,

• Higher and sustainable productivity increase at their level will have a major impact on poverty reduction, economic growth and climate change mitigation and adaptation

Intensificationwithout Simplification

Investing in All Assets of Rural Systems

(livelihoods, communities, economies)

Financial Capital:money, savings

Natural Capital:nature’s goods and services

(waste assimilation, pollination, storm protection, water supply, wildlife)

Social Capital: cohesiveness of people

and societies - trust, reciprocity, rules and norms,

networks and institutions

Physical Capital:Infrastructure, roads

markets

Human Capital:the status of individuals - health, skills, knowledge

Linking Global …….. to local

and local …… to global

Conservation andAdaptive management of

GLOBALLY IMPORTANTAGRICULTURAL HERITAGE SYSTEMS

GIAHS UN-PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

Was conceptualized and launched in 2002 at the occasion of World

Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg

South Africa

Local food and livelihood security,

biodiversity and genetic resources

Local knowledge of individuals and community

Cultural Diversity of Agri ”Culture” including products and services diversity

Landscape diversity and aesthetic values

GIAHS selection Criteria :

THEY ARE UNDER THREAT BCAUSE OF: • Inappropriate policy,

legal and incentive frameworks,

• Industrialization of agriculture and Neglect of diversified systems and local knowledge,

• Low community involvement in decision making,

• Population pressure and cultural change

Centers of Origin of the agricultural Civilizations

The eight Vavilovian Centers of Origin of Crops

China Rice Fish

GIAHS-Satoyama in Japan

Cultivation in waru-warus

2007

Maasai pastoral systems Kenya-Tanzania

Oases System in Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Lemon Garden, Italy

Japan

MadagascarSaffron, Iran and Kashmir India

HOW ?

At Global levelby identification, selection and recognition of GIAHSAt National levelby capacity building in policy, regulatory and incentive mechanisms to safeguard these outstanding systems and use them as sustainability bench mark systems At Local Levelby empowerment of local communities and technical assistance for sustainable resource management, promoting traditional knowledge and enhancing viability of these systems through economic incentives

Recognition of traditional knowledge in Science Congress,

Koraput Agriculture, Orissa India

Examples of Opportunities for Traditional Farmers through

GIAHS

Natives Dates Oases, Tunisia

Rice-fish culture products , China

Native potatoes, Peru

Ecological Farming Chiloe

GIAHS is not about the past, it is about the future

California USA

For more information, visit www.giahs.org