FOOD SECURITY AND

BIO-DIVERSITY

6-Oct-14

2

CONTENT Introduction to Food Security

Linking Biodiversity with Food Security

Challenges to biodiversity friendly agriculture

Use of Biodiversity in Food and Agriculture in practice

Some International Conventions on Issues of Food

Security and Biodiversity

Role of Indian Government

Recommendations

Conclusion

CHALLENGES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Four of major global challenges identified by the UN are:

Energy crisisClimate changeFood insecurityLoss of biodiversity

Food Security - Meaning

Food Security exists, when all people, atall times, have physical and economicaccess to sufficient, safe and nutritious foodto meet their dietary needs and foodpreference for an active and healthy life.

(World Food Summit, Rome, 1996)

Four dimensions of Food Security

Food

Security

Physical Availability of Food

The supply side, determined by the levelof food production, stock level & net trade.

Economic & Physical access to FoodAdequate supply of food does not guarantee household level food security. Food access depends on incomes, expenditure, markets &

prices in achieving food security objectives

Food UtilizationThe way the body makes the most of various nutrients in the food. Involves care & feeding practices, food preparation, diversity of diet

& intra-household distribution of food.

Stability of the other 3 dimensions over time

Access on a periodic basis. Weather, political conditions or economic factors have an impact on food security status.

Stark Realties

▪ India ranked 10th largest Economy of world on nominal GDP basis and 3rd largest on economy on PPP(purchasing power parity) basis

But India has…………..

• 29% of the 872.9 million undernourished people (FAO)

• 49% of the world’s underweight children (WHO)

• 34% of the world’s stunted children (WHO)

• Over 46% undernourished children (WHO)

• India is ranked 67 way below neighboring countries

like China, Nepal & Pakistan in 2011 Global Hunger Index by the IFPRI.

▪ According to the latest data on child under nutrition from 2005–10, Indiaranked second to last on child underweight out of 129countries— below Ethiopia, Niger, Nepal, and Bangladesh.Only Timor-Leste had a higher rate of underweight children.

▪ 21% of India’s population undernourished,

▪ nearly 44% of below the age of 5 children are underweight

Year Rank in Hunger index

Out of total no. of countries

Score Status

1990 31.73 Alarming

2007 94 118 25.03. Alarming

2008 66 88 23.70 Alarming

2009 65 88 23.90 Alarming

2010 67 84 24.10 Alarming

2011 67 81 24.2 Alarming

2012 65 79 22.9 Alarming

Source:-Global Hunger Report, IFPRI

Performance on Global Hunger Index

Projected Scenario of 2020

Crop Projected demand during 2020by NCAP

Estimated production for 2020 (estimated by presenter )

Demandprojected for Vision 2020 (by planning commission)

Supplyprojection for scenario of Business as usual (BAU)

Supply projection for Best case scenario (BCS)

Rice 130 117.08 119 125 207

Wheat 110 105.64 92 108 173

Coarse grains 34.92 15.6 13 14

Total Cereals 236.99 262.2 226.6 246 394

Pulses 43.61 42.8 19.5 16 23

Total food grain

280.6 278.62 246.1 262 417

Oilseed 85.33 40.62

Table No. 20 (in million tonnes)

Source: Policy Brief on demand for foodgrains during2020,Ramesh Chand, NCAP, New Delhi

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?The full range of variety and variability within and among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur.

It encompasses:Ecosystem or community diversitySpecies diversityGenetic diversity

(US Congressional Biodiversity Act, 1990)

Agro-biodiversity

Although the term "agricultural biodiversity" is relatively new - it has come into wide use

in recent years as evidenced by bibliographic references - the concept itself is quite old.

It is the result of the careful selection and inventive developments of farmers, herders

and fishers over millennia. Agricultural biodiversity is a vital sub-set of biodiversity. It is a

creation of humankind whose food and livelihood security depend on the sustained

management of those diverse biological resources that are important for food and

agriculture. Agricultural biodiversity, also known as agro-biodiversity or the genetic

resources for food and agriculture, includes:

Harvested crop varieties, livestock breeds, fish species and non- domesticated ('wild')

resources within field, forest, rangeland and in aquatic ecosystems;

Non-harvested species within production ecosystems that support food provision,

including soil micro-biota, pollinators and so on; and

Non-harvested species in the wider environment that support food production

ecosystems (agricultural, pastoral, forest and aquatic ecosystems).

COMPONENTS OF AGROBIODIVERSITY

Agro-ecosystems comprise poly-cultures, monocultures, and mixed systems, including

crop-livestock systems (rice - fish), agro-forestry, agro-silvo-pastoral systems,

aquaculture as well as rangelands, pastures and fallow lands.

Their interactions with human activities, including socio-economic activity and socio-

cultural diversity, are determinant.

Some of the key functions for maintaining stable, robust, productive and sustainable

agro-ecosystems may include the following : breakdown of organic matter and recycling

of nutrients to maintain soil fertility and sustain plant and consequently animal growth;

breakdown of pollutants and maintenance of a clean and healthy atmosphere;

moderation of climatic effects such as maintaining rainfall patterns and modulation of

the water cycle and the absorption of solar energy by the land and its subsequent

release;

maintenance and stability of productive vegetative, fish and animal populations and the

limitation of invasion by harmful or less useful species;

protection and conservation of soil and water resources, for example through a

vegetative cover and appropriate management practices, and the consequent

maintenance of the integrity of landscapes and habitats;

sequestration of CO2 by plants.

Current Scenario

75% of the world’s food generated from only 12 plant and 5

animal species

Only three crops (rice, maize and wheat) contribute ~ 60% of

calories and proteins obtained by humans from plants

Rapid decline in biodiversity is a threat to food security

through

– Introduction of exotic species

– Loss of gene pool

– Neglected/underutilized species

– Monocultures

– Biofuels

BIODIVERSITY AND FOOD SECURITY

Since the 1900s, 75 % of plant genetic diversity has beenlost as farmers have worldwide left their multiple localvarieties and landraces for genetically uniform, high-yieldingvarieties

These varieties require more water, high input of chemicalfertilizers and pesticides which deteriorate the environment– increased salinity

– increased waterlogging

– depletion of nutrients

Use of few genetically modified varieties and breeds inmonocultures has replaced well-adapted old cultivars

30 % of livestock breeds are at risk of extinction; six breedsare lost each month

INTRODUCED SPECIES/CROPS

Introduced species rank second to habitat destruction inthreatening the biodiversity

They compete with native flora/fauna for resources andcompetitively exclude native species

They rapidly invade valuable cultivated lands (Mesquite)

Accompany new pests and weeds (Mealybug infestation)

Retard seed germination and plant growth of native plants byreleasing allelopathic chemicals (Eucalyptus & Parthenium)

Mealybug

Mealybug infestation

Eucalyptus

Parthenium

Prosopis glandulosa

INTRODUCED SPECIES/CROPS

Challenges to biodiversity friendly agriculture

Population growth

The world’s population is expected to grow to nine billion by the year 2050 . If the

current model of commercialised monoculture is to be followed, feeding the global

population is stated to require the conversion of yet more wild lands, at the expense

of biodiversity and ecosystem service provision .

It is estimated that a billion hectares of natural habitat will need to be converted to

agricultural production, especially once the effects of climate change on crop yields

are taken into account.

Demand for meat is increasing globally, particularly from

the evergrowing urban populations of India and China, and as

the world becomes increasingly prosperous.

Meat production is a notoriously inefficient use of resources

and the implications of this are that a greater proportion of

grains and oilseeds are being used to feed livestock

and poultry, rather than people .

Climate change

Climate change and its potential impacts represent one of the greatest contemporary

threats to food security.

Extreme and unpredictable weather affects crop yields and it is estimated that

agricultural yields in Africa alone could decline by more than 30 percent by

2050 .Such yield decline will primarily affect the world’s poor, who will not only lose

direct access to food but are less capable of absorbing the global commodity price

changes that characterise a reduction in supply.

Climate-related events are being blamed for the recent spike in the price of staple

foods .

Bio-diverse multi-functional landscapes are more resilient

to extreme weather effects and can provide a “natural insurance

policy against climate change” .

Greater crop diversification by integrating a diversity of crops and varieties

into small-holder systems in particular will increase resilience to severe

changes in weather patterns leading to calls for “sustainable agriculture” .

More diverse agricultural systems not only increase resilience against

extreme climate-related events but can also increase yields.

Small scale shifting cultivators have been practicing biodiversity

friendly for generations and farmers around the world clearly understand and

use agro-biodiversity to mitigate against environmental and climatic

uncertainty.

Agricultural investment

International funding for agricultural development has dropped significantly over

the last decade and is now at an historic low, representing around 3% of total

overseas aid.

Crop yields have fallen in many regions primarily due to declining investments

in agricultural research, irrigation and infrastructure.

Structural adjustment programmes also disaggregated agriculture from wider

natural resource management (NRM) initiatives. Thus NRM and agriculture

have been artificially divided. Unfortunately for the millions of small-holder farmers

who are responsible for the vast majority of food production, bio-cultural diversity

and agricultural production these lines are considerably less well defined.

BIOFUELS AND FOOD SECURITY

Currently, biofuels have been praised as a solution to energyinsecurity and climate change

Increased conversion of agricultural commodities to biofuelsplays a key role in increasing international food prices(United Nations, 2007)

Approximately 70-75% of the increase in food commodityprices from 2002 to 2008 was mainly due to biofuels (WorldBank )

Subsidies and other fiscal tools aimed at promoting the useof biofuels, have decisively contributed to a rising demandfor sugar, maize, wheat, oilseeds, and palm oil

A food/fuel competition could be observed as global wheatand maize stocks are declining considerably

BIOFUELS AND FOOD SECURITY

http://www.thebioenergysite.com/articles/200/eu-and-uks-progress-to-biofuel-introduction

ANTHROPOGENIC THREATS

Biodiversity is being eroded through:

– Soil mismanagement (erosion, pollution)

– Salinization of irrigated areas

– Dry-land degradation from overgrazing

– Over-extraction of ground water

– increasing susceptibility to diseases and pests

Erosion Salinization OvergrazingDrought Deep water-table

The use of biodiversity for food and agriculture in practice

Agro-forestry

Agro-forestry is the use of trees and shrubs in crop or animal production and land

management systems.

It is estimated that trees occur on 46% of all agricultural lands and support 30% of

all rural populations . Trees are used in many traditional and modern farming and

rangeland systems.

Agro-forestry systems and practices come in many forms, including improved

fallows, taungya (growing annual agricultural crops during the establishment of a

forest plantation), home gardens, growing multi-purpose trees and shrubs, boundary

planting, farm woodlots, orchards, plantation/crop combinations.

The multi-species composition of home gardens contributes to efficient

nutrient cycling and resource use and conserves biodiversity while providing

relatively secure livelihood support through product diversification .

Alley cropping involves the cultivation of fast-growing legume trees in rows,

usually 4– 5 metres apart within the fields where food crops are grown.

Many local, underutilized and neglected tree species are used

for this purpose. Many are leguminous, with the added benefit of fixing

atmospheric nitrogen.

The tree–crop combination enhances the efficiency of land use and reduces

the need for fallow periods, making continuous cultivation possible and

sustainable.

The use of trees and shrubs in agricultural systems helps to tackle the triple

challenge of securing food security, reducing the vulnerability and increasing

the adaptability of agricultural systems to climate change, and mitigating

climate change.

Crop and livestock production

. Mixed systems enable the integration of different enterprises on the

farm; livestock provide draught power and manure, while crop residues are

fed to livestock. Deriving income from multiple sources (livestock and

crops) offers farmers options for buffering crop failures or animal disease

outbreaks .

In India, improved dual-purpose varieties of sorghum and millet

have allowed smallholders to increase the milk production of buffalos and

cows by up to 50% without reducing the grain output from their crops

In the upland areas of the midlands of Sri Lanka, monoculture coconut

systems were replaced by a diversified system combining tree crops

(coconut and fruits), root crops and herbs with dairy cattle, goats and

poultry, with the main goal of increasing farm income.

Crop and fish production

fish culture and rice farming are complementary

activities:

fish not only play a direct role in regulating pest

populations but also provide additional income

which raises the economic threshold for chemical

control of rice pests to a higher level than would be

considered critical in rice monocultures.

Indigenous fish species and breeds, such as

dhela (Rohtee cotio) and thai sarpunti

(Barbonymus gonionotus) in Bangladesh, respond

better in mixed culture than commonly cultured

breeds.

Integrated culture not only yields a variety of

products from the same unit of land but also

increases rice yields (both grain and straw),

particularly on poorer soils and unfertilized crops

Pollination

Animal pollination provides a highly effective pollination

service for better seed set and fruit quality and quantity,

particularly pollination by wild bees and honey bees.

Pollinators contribute to the yield and quality of output of at

least 70% of the major crops used directly by humans for food

and these crops contribute about 35% of the total amount of

food produced.

In some instances pollinator diversity may be even more

important than pollinator density as has been reported for

almond, coffee ,pumpkin, and sunflower grown for hybrid seed

production .

In this last study, the pollination efficiency of honey bee

foragers was enhanced up to 5 times by the presence of wild

bees.

MONOCULTURE VS POLYCULTURE

A key component of maintenance of biodiversity is theintroduction and maintenance of high genetic diversity in thefields

Genetically different plants can complement each otherusing different resource niches (long-rooted and shallowrooted crops), thereby increasing overall resource useefficiency

This idea leads to the hypothesis that the advantage of usingcrop diversity over using monocultures may increase along agradient of increasing environmental variability

In this regard, Döring et al. (2010) showed that the yieldadvantage of diverse populations over monocultures wasparticularly prevalent under stress conditions, i.e. when theenvironment affects yields negatively

MONOCULTURE VS POLYCULTURE

http://www.efrc.com/manage/authincludes/article_uploads/Research/Plant breeding/WBL web.pdf

Universal Declaration on Human Rights Article 25: “Everyone has the

right to a standard of living adequate for the health

and well-being of himself and of his family, including food”.

Efforts to link biodiversity, food and nutrition issues are expected to contribute to

achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG),

in particular number 1C:

which aims to “reduce by half, by 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from

hunger”.

Also linked to Goal 7A: “Integrate the principles of sustainable development and reverse

the loss of environmental resources”.

Selected policy and legislative frameworks

related to biodiversity and food security:

Convention of Biological Diversity: Main conclusions on the CBD cross-

cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition:

“Biodiversity is essential for food security and nutrition and offers key options for

sustainable livelihoods.

Existing knowledge warrants the sustainable use of biodiversity in food security and

nutrition programmes as a contribution to the

achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”.

International Convention on Economic Cultural and Social Rights : the right to

adequate food from productive

land or other natural resources.: the right to the highest attainable standard of health.

Conditions to achieve this

include access to adequate food and nutrition.

FAO’s Strategic Framework 2000–2015 stipulates that the Organization is

expected to take fully into account “progress

made in further developing a rights-based approach to food security” in carrying out its

mission “helping to build a food and secure world for present and future generations.”

Chennai Declaration: “Biodiversity is the raw material for food and health security,

as well as for the biotechnology industry,

and it must be conserved to ensure that it can continue in this function so that farming

systems become climate resilient”.

IFPRI 2020 Vision: “is a world where every person has access to

sufficient food to sustain a healthy and productive life, where

malnutrition is absent and where food originates from effective, efficient and

low-cost food systems that are compatible with

the sustainable use of natural resources”.

Rome Declaration on World Food Security: “Agricultural production

increases need to be achieved while ensuring both

productive capacity, sustainable management of natural resources and

protection of the environment”

While humankind has used more than 7,000 plant species for food purposes, agricultural research has concentrated on very few of these species. Over half of the protein and food energy we consume is now met by three crops only: maize, wheat and rice. The narrowing base of global food and nutrition security limits people’s livelihood options, particularly for those living in developing countries. While major crops and commodities receive considerable attention in national and international agricultural research and development policies, other crops and species are largely ignored and their sustainable conservation and use is in jeopardy.

To achieve the MDG on extreme poverty and hunger, policy-makers must pay greater attention to the cultivation and use of plant biodiversity, including locally important crops, such as millets, legumes, leafy vegetables, tubers, fruits and medicinal and aromatic plants.

Govt. Measures for Food Security(in India)

•National Food Security Mission•Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana•Mid Day Meal •ICDS (integrated Child Development Scheme),•National Food Security Act 2013.

National Food Security Mission

Source: Economic Survey,2013

•NFSM was launched in Aug,2007 byGOI with an aim of achieving anadditional production of 10,8 and 2million tonnes of paddy, wheat andpulses respectively by the end of2011-12.•A sum of Rs. 3381 crore has beenspent till 31March, 2011.

▪ Following table below shows the performance of Mission over different benchmarks.

benchmark years

Crop

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09

Paddy 10.97 7.63 5.14

wheat 18.09 15.33 13.22

pulses 3.01 2.45 2.64

Table No.21 ( in million tonnes)

Performance of NFSM

Note: Calculated by presenter based on data available from RBI hand book of Indian Economy, 2011-12

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

2010-11 2011-12

Growth in GDP for Agriculture and allied Sectors (%), base year

2004-05

5.8 0.1 0.8 7.9 3.6

Table No. 22

Source:-Economic Survey,2013

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

•Started in 2007-08 for incentivizing states to enhancepublic investment to achieve 4% growth rate in agricultureand allied sectors during the 11th five year plan. During 2007-11 an amount of Rs.14598 was released.

•50% of urban and 75% of rural population becovered under Act.•Guarantees providing 5 kg food grain per personper month at a subsidised rate to 67% of thecountry's population.•82 crore people in both urban and rural areas.•Food grains would include rice, wheat and milletat Rs.3, Rs.2 and Rs.1 per kg, respectively.

National Food Security Act 2013

•In year 2011-12 FCI procured 66.35 milliontonnes of Food grains and off take was 56.28million tonnes. The stock at the end of theperiod was 53.44 million tonnes. Hence therequirement of 61 million tonnes can be meteasily without impacting the functioning ofFood grain markets.

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