Crop and varietal diversity are critically important for global food and nutrition security, as well as the livelihoods of millions of people, especially those living in marginal areas.
Crop and varietal diversity are critically important for global food and nutrition security, as well as the livelihoods of millions of people, especially those living in marginal areas. This diversity includes many different crop species and farmer varieties[1], many of which have been cultivated and safeguarded by farmers and indigenous peoples for millennia on their farms. Each one contains unique genetic traits which could help breeders and farmers adapt our food systems to meet urgent global challenges like climate change adaptation and mitigation, both now and in the future.
While it is widely accepted that many of these crops and varieties are being lost at an alarming rate, there remain large data gaps when it comes to knowing how many we have lost, how many we are losing, and which crops and varieties are under the most urgent threat. These data gaps present a challenge for international frameworks established to monitor agrobiodiversity at country, regional and global levels, and hinder conservation and awareness-raising efforts.
Read more at: Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
According to the survey results in India, 50% of crop varieties are at risk. (Photo Credit: Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT / Neil Palmer)
