Using Our Agrobiodiversity: Plant-Based Solutions to Feed the World
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Agron. Sustain. Dev. DOI 10.1007/s13593-015-0325-y REVIEW ARTICLE Using our agrobiodiversity: plant-based solutions to feed the world Sven-Erik Jacobsen3 & Marten Sørensen1 & Søren Marcus Pedersen2 & Jacob Weiner1 Accepted: 25 June 2015 # The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at SpringerLink.com Abstract The growing global demand for food poses a seri- Keywords Underutilized species . Andean crops . Food ous challenge to mankind: How can we provide an increasing production . Sustainability world population with an adequate, reliable and nutritious food supply? We argue that this can best be achieved through the utilization of biodiversity and the inclusion of marginal Contents arable lands for agricultural production, while maintaining a 1. Introduction broad gene pool to secure the potential for future plant pro- 1.1 Strengths: advantages of agrobiodiversity solutions duction and supporting rural agricultural communities. We 1.1.1 Genetic diversity present several specific examples of how an emphasis on ag- 1.1.2 Climate change resilience ricultural biodiversity can provide the basis for a nutritional, 1.1.3 Nutrition reliable, culinary and sustainable food production, and analyse 1.1.4 Traditional diets the advantages, limitations and risks of an increased focus on 1.1.5 Local importance agrobiodiversity. We conclude that the potential for ap- 1.2 Weaknesses proaches based on the preservation and development of 1.2.1 Yield existing agrobiodiversity has not been given sufficient atten- 1.2.2 Low awareness tion in the current scientific and political debates concerning 1.2.3 Low status the best strategy to keep pace with global population growth 1.2.4 Limited variety development and increasing demand for food. An emphasis on 1.3 Opportunities agrobiodiversity is the basis for the most appropriate strategies 1.3.1 Utilization of marginal lands if the goal is to feed the world in the twenty-first century. 1.3.2 Reduce malnutrition and famine 1.3.3 Improve soil fertility 1.3.4 Conventional breeding efforts 1.3.5 Clean drinking water 1.3.6 Attractive high-end products * Sven-Erik Jacobsen [email protected] 1.4 Threats 1.4.1 Extension service and market organization 1 1.4.2 Multinational seed companies Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of 1.4.3 Consumer acceptability Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark 1.4.4 Overexploitation of fragile lands 2 1.4.5 Increased retail prices Institute of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark 2. Recommendations 3 3. General discussion Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegaard Alle 13, 4. Conclusion DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark 5. References S.-E. Jacobsen et al. 1 Introduction complementary to conventional approaches such as breeding high-yielding varieties. According to the FAO (2004), agrobiodiversity is defined as Modern agriculture focuses on the cultivation of a few “the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro- major staple crops, rice, maize and wheat, which provide half organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and of the global human requirement for carbohydrates, proteins agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. andcalories(Table1)(Lopez-Noriegaetal.2012). Further- It comprises the diversity of genetic resources (varieties, more, among the 100–120 crop plant species used today for breeds) and species used for food, fodder, fibre, fuel and phar- extensive food production, 95 % of human dietary energy maceuticals. It also includes the diversity of non-harvested originates from only 20 of these (Parry et al. 2009). The hu- species that support production (soil micro-organisms, preda- man diet is increasingly dependent on an ever-shorter list of tors, pollinators), and those in the wider environment that food plants. In addition, genetically modified (GM) crops cur- support agro-ecosystems (agricultural, pastoral, forest and rently account for 170 million ha of the global 1.5 billion ha of aquatic) as well as the diversity of the agro-ecosystems.” In arable land, i.e. 8.8 %, exclusively represented by soybean this paper, we focus on plant agrobiodiversity for food pro- (Glycine max Merr.), maize (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium duction exclusively. Although we realize the overall impor- L. spp.) and rapeseed (Brassica napus L. (ISAAA.ORG tance of the other classes mentioned in the FAO definition, 2013)). This development does not bode well for the mainte- and while agrobiodiversity also has much to offer in temperate nance of global agrobiodiversity. Although 7000 plant species climates, our geographical context is the area between the in the world have been used for food, over the past few tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, where the majority of devel- 50 years, 6 species cover 50 % of the arable land: wheat oping countries are located, as are the major part of the dry, (Triticum aestivum L.), soybean, maize, rice (Oryza sativa warm and in general marginal agricultural areas. L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and rapeseed (Fig. 1). In a recent paper (Jacobsen et al. 2013), we argue that a Agriculture is the primary source of foods and, in the past strategy based on the utilization of existing plant decade, also increasingly a source of bioenergy. However, agrobiodiversity offers much more promise than a focus on modern, intensive agriculture is generally harmful to the en- genetic technology if the objective is to feed the world’sgrow- vironment, resulting in contamination of drinking water, soil ing population within the coming decades. Here we address degradation and erosion, with negative effects on biodiversity the following question: Which selection criteria should be (Frison et al. 2011). Large modern farms specialize in either implemented to ensure the highest level of sustainability and livestock or few crop species, grown as monocultures of ge- reliability for the biodiversity-based strategy of crop develop- netically uniform individuals. Large fields reduce the extent of ment we espouse? Based on a critical analysis of a wide range field margins and hedgerows with their reserves of biodiver- of underutilized crops, we present here a list of relevant sity, while extensive use of industrial fertilizers causes loss of criteria, which can increase the probability of an intelligent soil organic matter and degrades soil productivity (FAO 1983; utilization of biodiversity. Acton and Gregorich 1995; Amaranthus et al. 2009). The According to UNCTAD (2013), farming in rich and poor adoption of herbicide- and pesticide-tolerant genetically mod- nations alike would benefit from a shift from monocultures ified (GM) crops increases the threat to biodiversity consider- towards greater varieties of crops and a reduced reliance on ably (ISAAA.ORG 2013). fertilizers and other inputs (Bullock et al. 2007). There is Two major problems of global agriculture require immedi- broad agreement that food production must increase signifi- ate attention and have resulted in intensified search for cantly within the next 40 years if it is to keep pace with the underutilized crops with potential to enhance global food se- forecast population growth expected to reach nine billion by curity: (1) price instability of agricultural produce, especially 2050 (Kahane et al. 2013; Mba et al. 2012). This has to be since 2007, due to crop failures, rising demands and increased accomplished even though arable land, with limited wa- production for bioenergy, exacerbated by a growing popula- ter and energy, and these challenges are exacerbated by tion and improved income in some developing countries, and climate change (ISF 2011). At present, one billion peo- (2) the globalization of agricultural markets and the concen- ple in the world face starvation and a further two billion tration of food supply within a few, large international corpo- suffer one or more micronutrient deficiencies, especially rations, resulting in worldwide dominance of a very limited vitamin A, iodine and iron, often lumped as hidden number of crops. In this process, underutilized crops with hunger (Alnwick 1996). unique advantages for global food security have been A UN report states that we must achieve a reorientation of ignored, despite increased interest in these crops due our agricultural systems towards modes of production that are to new consumer demands (Ahmad and Javed 2007; highly productive and highly sustainable and that contribute to Mba et al. 2012;Padulosietal.2006). Almost all ag- the progressive realization of the human right to adequate food ricultural research and development have been focussed (De Schutter 2011). Agro-ecology delivers advantages that are on the few, dominant crop species. Using our agrobiodiversity: plant-based solutions to feed the world Fig. 1 Development of global Million hectare arable area with six major crops 800 (1963–2012), based on FAO statistics (FAO 2010) 700 Rapeseed 600 Barley 500 Rice 400 Maize 300 Soybean 200 100 Wheat 0 1963 1971 1979 1987 1995 2003 2011 Increased food production in the face of the above men- increasing global production of food in sufficient quality tioned obstacles will require increased access to genetic re- and quantity. sources (Juma 2011). For example, coming changes in the The study is in broad terms based on an expert-oriented growth seasons of various crops due to climate change require Technology Assessment (TA)