Celebrating biodiversity in agriculture

Abstract

Water Kidz Formed by combining the words ‘biological’ and ‘diversity’ , biodiversity refers to the many millions of organisms on Earth and the way they interact with each other. Biodiversity can be used to describe the variety and relationships of animals, plants and microorganisms in different sized habitats – from the African savanna to the great Arctic region. Think about the food you eat. What kind of foods come to mind? While we don’t always realise it, biodiversity is the foundation of agriculture. It has enabled farming systems to evolve ever since agriculture was first developed over 10 000 ago. Today, agriculture produces an average of 23.7 million tons of food every day, and provides livelihoods for 2.5 billion people. It is the largest source of income and jobs for especially poor, rural households. Biodiversity is the origin of all species of crops and domesticated livestock and the variety within them. It is also the foundation of ecosystem services essential to sustain agriculture and human well-being.

Authors

Categories