Rio de Janeiro, 28 April
2012 - Placing renewed emphasis on sustaining
the natural variety of crops and animals
contributing to agriculture, including neglected
yet nutritious traditional foods, can improve
food security and address growing global
concerns over poor nutrition and its negative
health effects, officials said at the launch
of a new international project at the World
Nutrition Rio Congress 2012.
The Biodiversity for
Food and Nutrition Project aims to address
the narrowing variety of people's diets,
with nutritionally-poor processed foods
dominating the dinner table. This trend
has led to a raft of health issues worldwide.
One third of the world's population suffers
from hunger and micronutrient malnutrition,
while obesity and diet-related chronic illness
have reached critical levels.
The diversity of crops
and their wild relatives, trees, animals,
microbes and other species contributing
to food production - known as agricultural
biodiversity - can counter these trends,
according to Emile Frison, Director General
of Bioversity International, which is coordinating
the project to further research and promote
the links between biodiversity and good
nutrition.
"To meet the challenge
of feeding the world population of around
nine billion by 2050, we need to consider
not only sustainably producing sufficient
food but also working towards diversified
nutrition, which means providing a healthy
diet for all," said Braulio Dias, Executive
Secretary, Secretariat of the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD). "Agricultural
biodiversity plays a central role in meeting
this challenge."
The Global Environment
Facility (GEF), the world's largest public
funder of international environmental projects,
is supporting the multi-country project
led by Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
Bioversity International is coordinating
the project with implementation support
from the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO).
"The GEF is making
efforts to expand its engagement in the
conservation and management of agricultural
biodiversity, which provides the mainstay
for millions of people worldwide and food
security to the world's most vulnerable
populations," said Monique Barbut,
CEO and Chairperson of the GEF.
In addition to researching
biodiversity's role in nutrition, the US
$35-million project, supported by the GEF
with US$5.5 million and contributions from
partner governments and international agencies,
aims to provide information on the nutritional
and health benefits of traditional food
sources to the four partner countries.
The results will enhance
the development of policies and regulatory
frameworks that promote biodiversity conservation
and sustainable use of often-neglected and
forgotten traditional foods, which are often
more nutritious and better adapted to local
environments, thus having less impact on
ecosystems.
"In India, for
example, a long series of studies to improve
the use of so-called minor millets among
very poor farmers has shown multiple beneficial
impacts on yields, incomes, profits, the
nutritional value of popular snack and breakfast
foods and female empowerment, all promoting
the likely conservation of these crops and
their biological diversity in farmers' fields,"
Mr. Frison said.
Examples of these foods,
some of which have gained global popularity,
are:
Indigenous leafy vegetables
such as amaranth leaves, cleome and nightshade,
which are now acknowledged as significant
sources of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants
Lycopene-rich guava
varieties, acerola and pitanga. In Brazil,
which already has a great deal of biodiversity
in its food supply, these former garden
fruits are now commercially produced and
processed. Another nutrient-rich fruit from
Brazil and elsewhere is the popular açaí
berry.
Food condiments and
spices, which have recently been reported
to have anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory,
anti-mutagenic, and anti carcinogenic properties.
Spices also contribute to daily intakes
of iron, zinc and calcium
Arugula (or rocket),
a nutritious vegetable once collected as
a wild food, and quinoa, an extremely nutritious
grain-like crop from the Andes, have both
found wide-scale acceptance in the grocery
aisles and on restaurant tables throughout
the world as a healthy and tasty food. Quinoa
holds particular promise in that it is highly
adaptable to different climatic and geographic
conditions. The United Nations has declared
2013 to be the year of the Quinoa.
The project is consistent
with the Cross-Cutting initiative on biodiversity
for food and nutrition, which was adopted
by the CBD at the eighth Conference of the
Parties in 2006, recognizing the importance
of the links between biodiversity, food
and nutrition.
Additional quotes
"Diversity of diet,
founded on diverse farming systems, delivers
better nutrition and greater health, with
additional benefits for human productivity
and livelihoods," said Emile Frison,
Director General of Bioversity International.
"Agricultural biodiversity is absolutely
essential to cope with the predicted impacts
of climate change."
"Brazil, Kenya,
Sri Lanka and Turkey contain unique agricultural
biological diversity that is crucial to
the world's food supply," said Marieta
Sakalian, UNEP Senior Programme Management
Officer, Biodiversity. "This project
provides an exceptional platform for bringing
key international partners together with
the agriculture, environment, health and
education sectors at national level to work
towards conserving and promoting biodiversity
for food and nutrition."
The FAO's principal
nutrition officer Barbara Burlingame notes
that dietary energy requirements can be
satisfied without biodiversity, but micronutrient
requirements can only be met through a diversified
diet, with biodiversity being the key: "This
project includes a research component that
will help to improve the evidence base on
the nutritional attributes of food biodiversity,
thus linking food and nutrition security
with conserving biodiversity through sustainable
use."
Notes to Editors
Given the cross-sectoral
and multi-disciplinary nature of this project,
national partners have agreed to bring together
relevant international partners, which can
facilitate both implementation and scaling
up beyond the boundaries of the project.
To this end, the following international
partners committed to participate: World
Food Programme (WFP); Earth Institute, Columbia
University; Crops for the Future; ICRAF,
Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition
and Environment (CINE) and the World Vegetable
Centre (AVRDC).
For further information on the project please
visit www.bioversityinternational.org