Agricultural Biodiversity
Agricultural biodiversity is also known as agro-biodiversity. It is the biological diversity that is related to the food, agriculture, and agricultural ecosystems. It refers to the variety and variability of animals, plants, microorganisms, and other living organisms on the earth that are important and support the food and agriculture system. It takes into account genetic species, management system, landscape approach, and the different ways the land and water resources are used for agricultural production. It also includes the cultural diversity which influences human interactions at all levels.
It is the outcome of the interactions among genetic resources, the environment, management systems, and the practices used by farmers over millennia. There are for components of agro-biodiversity:
- Genetic resources for food and agriculture: It includes
- Plant genetic resources like crops, wild plants, and managed food and trees on the farm.
- Animal genetic resources like domesticated animals, wild animals hunted for food, wild and farmed fish, and other aquatic organisms.
- Microbial and fungal genetic resources for both beneficial and harmful effects
- Biodiversity that supports ecosystem: Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect support to human well being that include a diverse range of organisms that contribute at various scales.
- Inter alia
- Nutrient cycling
- Pest and diseases
- Pollination
- Hydrological cycle erosion control
- Climate regulation and carbon sequestration
- Abiotic factors like local climates and chemical factors, the physical structure and functioning of ecosystems which have determining effects of agriculture biodiversity.
- Socio-economic and cultural dimensions: It is largely shaped and maintained by human practices activities and management. A number of people are dependent on agro-biodiversity for livelihood.
Features of agro-biodiversity
- Human interference, local knowledge, and culture are an integral part of agrobiodiversity management.
- Agro-biodiversity is actively managed by male and female farmers.
- Many important agricultural systems are based on alien crops and livestock which are originated elsewhere. This creates a high degree of interdependence between countries for the genetic resources on which our food systems are based.
- Deu to the degree of human management, conservation of agro-biodiversity is based on the sustainable use of the resources.
Agro-biodiversity and sustainable development goals
The loss of agro-biodiversity is the issue of major concern in the present context. When we lose agro-biodiversity, we also lose the options to make our diets healthier and the food systems more resilient and sustainable.
- No poverty: "End poverty in all it's form everywhere." If we are to end poverty by 2030, then we must count agro-biodiversity on it. When there are varieties of crops and livestock with better yield and income, we could build resilient farmers and aid to and poverty.
- Zero Hunger: "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture." When there is the use of diverse food systems, hunger can be eliminated. More and more researches are to be done to test the diversity of the crops with the potential to feed all around the year. For this, the local varieties and the farmers are to be supported to build a resilient society.
Diet diversity for better nutrition and health - Good health and well-being for the people: "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages." To reduce premature mortality to one third by 2030; agrobiodiversity, human health, and nutrition should go parallelly.
- Responsible consumption and production: "Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns." Reducing food waste at both production and consumption level, loss from diseases and pest, post-harvest food loss, etc need to be checked to maintain responsible consumption and production and build a smooth supply chain.
Safeguarding 1000 local varieties in Nepalese community seed banks. - Climate actions: "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts by regulating emissions and promoting developmentals in renewable energy." Agriculture has always been a risky business and climate change has made it riskier than ever. So for sustainable agrobiodiversity, we ought to build a better defense against climate actions.
- Life on land: "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss." Agrobiodiversity should be sustainable and for that many components, abiotic or biotic, are interrelated and their protection is a must. We must make the ecosystem services count and ensure fair use of components like land, water, other floras, pollinators, useful insects, etc.
Benefits of agriculture biodiversity
Experience and research have shown that agrobiodiversity can:
- Contribute to sustainability
- Increase productivity, food security, and economic returns
- Making farming more stable, robust, and sustainable
- Diversify products and income opportunities
- Helps in sound insect and pest management
- Conserve soil and increase natural soil fertility and health
- Reduce dependency on external inputs
- Conserve ecosystem structure and stability of species diversity
- Reduce the pressure of agriculture on fragile areas, forests and endangered species
Loss of agrobiodiversity
We can not deny the fact that we are greedy and due to the greedy nature we have exploited biodiversity and causes great loss. Besides humans, there is n number of factors that are causing habitat loss of the living life on earth. some factors are:
- Deforestation
- Overgrazing of domestic animals
- Unsustainable farming (Monoculture in more percentage of land is the matter of major concern)
- Global warming
- Population boom
The effect of agriculture on biodiversity
Agriculture plays a huge role in everyday life and is vital for human existence. Agriculture provides easy access by enabling a large quantity of meat, fruits, dairy, and vegetable products to be farmed on a large scale. It also bolsters financially. Agriculture is the main source of income for many people in developing countries and plays a huge role in the global economy. It acts as a financial buffer for the majority of people on planet earth. Pesticides are the major threats to biodiversity. It may give a better yield but have negative impacts on biodiversity. These pesticides remain in the soil for many years and finally disperse into the oceans. This is proved by the chemicals that have been found in arctic animals.
The dead zone is the area of low oxygen in an ocean or lake that is harmful to aquatic animals. This is due to the increased level of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from the fertilizers that are washed off from land to water. This causes a bloom of algae and other phytoplankton. When the algae and phytoplankton die, the bacteria that decompose them deplete oxygen in the water. Industriloazed products used to supplement agriculture are assisting in the global epidemic of a decrease in biodiversity. In the course of making an agricultural land, some native species lose their habitats while some arrises that cause an imbalance in the ecosystem. The fossil fuels released from Agri based industries have caused the greenhouse effect and lead to global warming. According to the studies done by Beck Laughing and Menu in 1995, the pond with minimal agricultural activities has higher richness in species. Aquaculture has been identified as the greatest factor for causing loss of biodiversity worldwide.
How to enhance agrobiodiversity?
- Organic farming
- Integrated pest management (IPM)
- Seed Bank Systems (SBS)
- Practicing good farming management (Sustainable agricultural practices)
- Promote diversity of crops
- Save the pollinators
- Maintainance of wild patches of vegetation in farming
- Conservation tillage
- Integrating livestock in the crop production system
- Biological control of pest
- Research and education
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