Stefano Padulosi

Agrobiodiversity for food security, health and income

By the year 2050, agriculture will have to provide the food and nutrition requirements of some 9 billion people. Moreover, to maintain that level of productivity indefinitely it must do so using environmentally sustainable production systems. This task will be profoundly complicated by the effects of climate change, increasing competition for water resources and loss of productive lands. Agricultural production methods will also need to recognize and accommodate ongoing rural to urban migration and address a host of economic, ecological and social concerns about the ‘high inputs/high outputs’ model of present-day industrial agriculture. At the same time, there is a need to confront the unacceptable levels of continuing food and nutrition insecurity, greatest in the emerging economy countries of Africa and Asia where poverty, rapid population growth and climate change present additional challenges and where agriculture is practiced primarily by small-scale farmers. Within this context, we here review science-based evidence arguing that diversification with greater use of highly valuable but presently under-valorised crops and species should be an essential element of any model for sustainable smallholder agriculture. The major points of these development opportunity crops are presented in four sections: agricultural farming systems, health and nutrition, environmental sustainability and prosperity of the populations. For each section, these crops and their associated indigenous knowledge are reported to bring benefits and services when integrated with food systems. In this paper, we conclude that not only a change in policy is needed to influence behaviours and practices but also strong leadership able to synergize the various initiatives and implement an action plan.

Worldwide evaluations of quinoa: preliminary results from post International Year of Quinoa FAO projects in nine countries

Chenopodium quinoa Willd., a high quality grain crop, is resistant to abiotic stresses (drought, cold, and salt) and offers an optimal source of protein. Quinoa represents a symbol of crop genetic diversity across the Andean region. In recent years, this crop has undergone a major expansion outside its countries of origin. The activities carried out within the framework of the International Year of Quinoa provided a great contribution to raise awareness on the multiple benefits of quinoa as well as to its wider cultivation at the global level. FAO is actively involved in promoting and evaluating the cultivation of quinoa in 26 countries outside the Andean region with the aim to strengthen food and nutrition security. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the adaptability of selected quinoa genotypes under different environments outside the Andean region. This paper presents the preliminary results from nine countries. Field evaluations were conducted during 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 in Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), and the Near East and North African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Mauritania, and Yemen). In each country, the trials were carried out in different locations that globally represent the diversity of 19 agrarian systems under different agro-ecological conditions. Twenty-one genotypes of quinoa were tested using the same experimental protocol in all locations consisting in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Some genotypes showed higher yields and the Q18 and Q12 landraces displayed greater adaptation than others to new environmental conditions. The Q21 and Q26 landraces were evaluated with stable and satisfactory levels of yield (>1 t.ha−1) in each of the different trial sites. This production stability is of considerable importance especially under climate change uncertainty. While these results suggest that this Andean crop is able to grow in many different environments, social, and cultural considerations remain crucial regarding its possible introduction as a staple food in new cropping systems around the world.

Securing sustainable and nutritious food systems through mainstreaming agricultural biodiversity: an interdisciplinary study

Abstract Background Urgent reform of our food systems is needed if they are to provide high quality nourishment and at the same time protect the environment. Agriculture, food systems, and diets have been greatly simplified over the past century. Policies and investments have been too focused on maximising productivity and economic returns of a few major staples. So much so that global production of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds falls way short of what is required globally. Agricultural and food policies and actions have become disconnected from nutrition policies and programmes, calling for urgent realignment of food systems to focus on nourishing people while sustaining the planet. Focusing in Brazil and India, our work aimed to show that sustainable solutions for transforming food systems are indeed possible. Methods In Brazil, nutritional composition analysis of 65 prioritised native fruit species was carried out in partnership with several public universities and research institutes using FAO/INFOODS methodologies with data made available through a National Composition Database within the Information System on Brazilian Biodiversity (SiBBr). In India, participatory variety selection, improved cultivation practices, value addition, and marketing and public awareness campaigns were tackled along with capacity building of local community members. Lobbying for millets supportive policies was pursued at state and national level. Findings In Brazil, preliminary results indicate that many of the analysed priority native fruits are more nutritionally rich compared with the five most commonly consumed fruits. These findings were instrumental in the passing in 2016 of a new Ordinance on Sociobiodiversity, which officially recognises the nutritional value of these species and which contributes to the mainstreaming of nutritious underutilised species into relevant policies and programmes. In India, public campaigns leveraging healthy and cultural appeal of millets are creating new demand. Drudgery reduction in cultivation, availability of high quality seed and grains, and enhanced processing technology are revitalising their value chains. Successful policy advocacy contributed to the amendment of the National Food Security Act in 2013, which by introducing millets in the Public Distribution System has opened unprecedented opportunities for their nationwide popularisation. Interpretation In Brazil, by addressing critical data gaps, these findings, and other actions, have been important in influencing the national policy landscape, especially in relation to targeting the diversification of school feeding and food procurement, as well as the development of new supporting policies such as the abovementioned ordinance on sociobiodiversity. In India, interdisciplinary and intersectorial approaches played a strategic part in removing bottlenecks hindering the use of millets. A mix of resilience, nutrition, healthy, cultural, and income generation appeal associated to these crops helped to raise their visibility among policy makers. These projects also showed that an Agrobiodiversity Index to help policymakers to decide how to use agrobiodiversity for sustainable choices in support of nutritious food systems would be a highly benefiical instrument. Funding United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), European Union (EU).

A policy analysis to promote conservation and use of small millet underutilized species in India

ABSTRACT Despite the important role of Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) in diversifying agriculture, supporting traditional farming systems and improving food and nutritional security particularly in marginal lands, very little attention is being paid to their mainstreaming in national policies and institutions. Based on a detailed review of the regulatory frameworks governing the conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of plant genetic resources and the circulation and registration of seeds and improved varieties, this paper discusses the extent to which the measures in place in India may favour or affect the conservation and use of NUS. In addition to these frameworks, in view of the major change realized by the 2013 National Food Security Act which has included coarse cereals in the country’s Public Distribution System (PDS), the paper also incorporates this latest policy in its analyses. A special focus is given to small millets, a group of species with unexploited economic and nutritional potential but extremely important for marginal communities’ food security and livelihoods. A set of policy recommendations and opportunities to explore are proposed to address the identified constraints with the purpose of creating a more supportive policy environment and enhancing the national capacity to promote NUS.