Here’s Why The Food On Our Plate Is Correlated to Biodiversity Loss
Having knowledge of the food we eat and where it comes from, is a crucial step to preventing biodiversity loss and aid in habitat restoration.
The article was originally published in WeNaturalists, as a part of the curated section by our editors. For more similar stories head to our Curated Explore section.
Sustainable agriculture is an important component of the sustainable development goals, especially since the world food demand is expected to double by 2050. But agricultural practices are increasingly becoming more non-sustainable as time goes by. So much so, that agriculture has become one of the major reasons for biodiversity loss. Our intensive farming methods are leading to habitat destruction with natural lands being turned into agricultural fields, and there’s been a strong decline of specific farmland biodiversity.
This brings us to an essential discussion about how best to conserve nature.
Should we restrict areas to prevent biodiversity loss or find ways to integrate our food demands while living in harmony with nature?
Let’s look at the current and future agricultural landscape
Agricultural practices are leading to erosion of soil due to the increased usage of pesticides and fertilizers. In order to meet the demand for fads like plant-based diets, the pressure on ecosystems is immense. Unsustainable farming practices are not just threatening biodiversity loss but also complete ecosystems on which the agricultural industry depends. There’s a growing requirement for a system where our food production does not deplete natural resources.
In a bid to focus attention on this subject, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its first report in 2019, the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, highlighting the worrying evidence that the biodiversity on which we depend is slowly depleting, putting our future at risk.
FAO’s Director-General José Graziano da Silva spoke about the need to address this issue. “Biodiversity is critical for safeguarding global food security, underpinning healthy and nutritious diets, improving rural livelihoods, and enhancing the resilience of people and communities. We need to use biodiversity in a sustainable way so that we can better respond to rising climate change challenges and produce food in a way that doesn’t harm our environment,” he said.
The report highlights the disappearing plant diversity in farmland, rising numbers of livestock breeds at the brink of extinction, and an uptick in the proportion of overfished fish stocks.
- Of the 6,000 plant species cultivated for food, just 9 account for two-thirds of all crop production.
- A quarter of livestock breeds are at risk of extinction, and only a handful provide the vast majority of meat, milk and eggs.
- More than half of fish stocks are at risk of extinction.
The associate biodiversity species like birds, bats, and insects that aid in controlling diseases, maintaining soil biodiversity are also under severe threat. Experts have also noted a decrease in the population of wild pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Experts believe that ecosystems like forests, mangroves, marshlands, coral reefs, and more — which are essential for our food security and home to different species are also on a steady decline.
The report stresses that change in our land and water resource management could be a leading cause of loss of biodiversity. Pollution, overharvesting and exploitation, global warming, and rapid urbanization could also be contributing factors.
When it comes to associated biodiversity loss, the reasons are different in various parts of the world.
Overexploitation and hunting have been cited as a major reason in Africa, while intensive farming methods and deforestation could be a contributor in Europe and Central Asia. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the report notes that overexploitation, pests, diseases, and invasive species are the reason for the loss, while in West Asia, it is overexploitation.
But amidst this conversation about biodiversity conservation, the tide is turning for the better in many parts of the world. Many countries are embracing policies that support biodiversity like adopting organic farming and promoting other sustainable practices. For example, in the state of California (USA) the farmers do not burn the rice fields in the winter. Instead, they allow the land to be flooded, providing a habitat for different bird species that are at risk.
According to the FAO report, 91 countries have reported an increase in organic agriculture, integrated pest management, conservation agriculture, sustainable soil management, agroecology, sustainable forest management, agroforestry, diversification practices in aquaculture, ecosystem approach to fisheries, and ecosystem restoration.
Conservation efforts involving leaving large swaths of land for nature to thrive, which many have termed “sparing”, is also being encouraged by the scientific community. On the end of the spectrum is the concept of “sharing” the land as a viable approach to conserve nature. r
The debate of sharing versus sparing rages on and its adaptation will be the deciding factor on which approach works best.
But it’s also important to address the malpractices of the food and agriculture industry. We need legal, institutional, and policy frameworks to safeguard biodiversity. The public and the private sector must collaborate and work with local communities to push for this agenda with incentives, benefits, and more.
We also require more experts to study ecological systems and identify gaps among vulnerable species, especially among associate biodiversity. For example, the FAO report notes that over 99 percent of bacteria and its subsequent impact on food and agriculture remains in the dark.
As consumers, our choices are no less important. It’s incredibly vital for us to have knowledge about the produce we consume and its lifecycle. It is a crucial step in decreasing biodiversity loss. We should also consciously opt for bio-friendly and sustainable products and boycott those which are harmful to the environment. Now is the time for everyone to become ‘citizen naturalists’ in the fight to conserve nature and its natural resources.
