Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &
Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
T2-02O-1163
Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity – an Integrated Approach to Improve
Nutrition, Livelihoods, Ecosystem Services and Reduce Climate
Vulnerability
Jai C Rana
Rana, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT – India Office
NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi – 110012
In today’s complex and interconnected world, what we eat and how we produce it are
inextricably bound together. With the global population expected to touch 9.7 billion by
2050, there will be increasing pressure on our limited natural resources to produce more food,
almost 50% more food, feed and bio-fuel than it did in 2012. Recent FAO report warns that
the projected growth in world population is likely to be concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa
and South Asia, with major concentration in India. This will pose immense problems, as
expanding agriculture in India will be difficult because of scarcity of land and water
resources. At present, there are worrying signs that yield growth is levelling off for major
crops. Hence, high-input, resource-intensive farming systems, which have caused massive
deforestation, water scarcities, soil depletion and high levels of greenhouse gas emissions,
cannot deliver sustainable food and agricultural production.
The Sustainable Development Goals recognize that these challenges are interconnected and
multidimensional. Under these challenges, achieving food security in drylands is more
challenging. Drylands cover 41% of the earth’s land area and are home to 38% of the world’s
population, the majority of whom live in poverty. With changing climates threatening fragile
ecosystems and high migration levels, the livelihoods of more than 2 billion people are at
risk. Farm households and rural communities around the world, including in dryland systems,
have long since used agricultural and tree biodiversity to diversify their diets and their
production systems, to manage pests, diseases and weather-related stress. The evidence
shows that biodiversity-based approaches intensify production while reducing pressures on
the environment, for example, by improving soil quality. At the same time, a diversified diet
is essential for human health.
Healthy dryland ecosystems and agrobiodiversity are essential for dryland communities to
overcome their poverty. A major challenge is how to facilitate agricultural growth without
endangering the resource base. About 800 million farmers in drylands depend on limited
crops diversity of cereals, millets, legumes, and oilseeds. When food supplies are scarce,
traditional plant varieties are often lifesavers as they are well adapted to drought, variable
rainfall and harsh environments. The adaptive traits of dryland organisms are of growing
importance for coping with the impacts of climate change and using traditional varieties in
Ecosystem based approaches for climate change adaptation, ecosystem services, integrated farming system
models, Land degradation neutrality
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