Agrobiodiversity to Build Resilience and Sustainable Growth

Two main actions are at the interface of post-recovery solutions: building local resilience and safeguarding the environment. Agrobiodiversity can address both and help redesigning global food supply to provide opportunities for both the supply and demand sides. I provide three examples that justify the reasons for diversification in production systems to be part of the agenda in redesigning food systems.

Diversification of production systems for de-risk procurement

Current production systems rely on supply specialization and interconnection between countries and firms to deliver products to the final market. This configuration may put the system in jeopardy when a shock in the supply chain occurs, consequently reducing the diversity of products or inputs to which we have access. Since the pandemic outbreak, firms have been increasingly pushed to redesign their procurement systems, identify alternative sources or reduce production when faced with shortages at country or regional levels (OECD, 2020). This has triggered a rethinking on the current business models, and the need for change to a more decentralized and flexible system has emerged.

A more diversified production system can take advantage of these situations. On the demand side, risks arising from regional supply shocks are being re-assessed while informing the design of supply chain strategies. In particular, diversified and local suppliers need to ensure business continuity and resilience. On the supply side, a diverse product mix can have a buffer effect on the income line during a sustained market disturbance. In the context of agricultural products, this diversification can be related to production calendars, stockability, and labor-intensity of production, as lockdowns were one of the main policy measures to address the spread of the virus.  

Agrobiodiversity is a consumer demand

Consumers, mostly those in developed countries, have shown an increasing interest in buying sustainable and local food. This trend was already on the rise before the crisis, but it saw further consolidation and growth. The United States and France are examples of countries where consumers have shifted to more environmentally and health-conscious consumption patterns.

A main trend has been the rise of consumers’ demand for organic and local foods associated with lower environmental impact and support local communities. This has revalued the opportunities for diversified production systems to be driven by local demand and shorter value chains and enable more producers to profitably offer their products to local markets. 

In the context of developing countries, particularly where food shortages have occurred during the crisis, agrobiodiversity is key to increase resilience in responding to food security issues. Diversified productions lower production risks and provide uncorrelated income streams, which in turn increase the resilience of food systems and enable local populations to access to diversified diets. 

Local biodiversity matters for farming and the environment 

Climate conditions, soil erosion, and water pollution pose challenges for increasing production and food access to keep up with a constantly increasing food demand. In addition, few products on the mainstream of consumption pose extreme pressure on the productive system and therefore on the environment. 

A more diversified food system, which uses more of the local biodiversity and promotes its consumption, would help relief this pressure. For instance, using more local crops adapted to local conditions that are productive even in marginal areas would help to reduce losses and the excessive dependency on agrochemical products or seeds - two of the most important production inputs but whose production is very concentrated in terms of suppliers. Moreover, crop rotation, intercropping and, in general, a production system that uses strategically the traits of varieties could allow increasing productivity by improving soil fertility or water management, for instance. 

On the innovation side, promoting local agrobiodiversity has the potential to spark local technology solutions centered on local agricultural needs. This would be essential to make the products more competitive in the production system and more easily integrated into the final market.

Policy recommendation

Policies to support agrobiodiversity have a major role to play in leveraging these market opportunities. If properly designed and implemented, they can trigger growth and resilience. Thus, the policy framework can focus on: 

• Encouraging diversification through better access to seeds and planting materials that respond to local needs, 

• Capacity-building programs for farmers and farmer support associations to integrate their products into value chains, 

• Improving information and coordination throughout value chains and encouraging partnerships and network,

• Upgrading infrastructure to connect to local markets and international opportunities, 

• Recognizing intellectual property requirements for seeds and traditional products, improving access and enforcing guarantee systems in foreign and local markets.

Author Information:

Eleonora De Falcis, PhD

The Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT  

For more information please contact: e.defalcis@cgiar.org

References:

https://www.odgersberndtson.com/en-ch/insights/how-are-leaders-reshaping-global-supply-chains-as-they-emerge-from-the-covid-19-lockdown, https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/consulting/coronavirus-procurement-recovery-growth, https://www2.deloitte.com/ch/en/pages/technology/articles/shaping-sourcing-and-procurement-in-a-post-covid-environment.html, http://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/food-supply-chains-and-covid-19-impacts-and-policy-lessons-71b57aea/#back-endnotea0z37,  France: https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/05/20/Coronavirus-boosts-demand-for-local-and-functional-foods-in-France-market-study#, United States: https://www.csis.org/analysis/covid-19-and-us-food-system.