Learning Agrobiodiversity
The importance of agricultural
biodiversity and the role of universities
Per Rudebjer, Boudy Van Schagen, Margarita Baena, Henry Kamau and Leocadio Sebastian
Agrobiodiversity What is agrobiodiversity and why is it
important?
– the biological Agrobiodiversity includes all the components of biological diversity
diversity of relevant to food and agriculture, including agricultural ecosystems.
It has an essential role in sustainable development:
agricultural
systems – is an • For providing food, fibre, fuel, fodder, medicines and other
products for subsistence or sale
important area
• For sustaining ecosystem services such as watershed functions,
of science and nutrient cycling, soil health and pollination
policy, yet it
• For supplying raw genetic material for breeding new varieties of
rarely features plants and animals
in university Agricultural biodiversity is in rapid decline –
curricula. We why?
New plant and animal varieties and high-input agriculture systems
discuss the need have dramatically increased food output but they have also had
to build human an alarming impact on of many traditional varieties of crops and
animals.
and institutional John Gyovai
Changes in land use, land degradation, deforestation and habitat as ethnobotany, biodiversity conservation and traditional vegetable
capacity in the loss also have severe impacts on agrobiodiversity. Climate change is production.
subject. expected to speed the loss of agrobiodiversity.
Latin America
The market plays an important role too, through changing In 2006, surveys were conducted among 15 universities in seven
food habits and globalization. countries – Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico,
and Peru. As in Africa, none of the surveyed universities offered a
How are universities responding? dedicated course or programme on agrobiodiversity.
Biodiversity International recently reviewed the situation
in academic institutions in Africa, Latin America and Asia- Asia
Pacific. Since 1997, Bioversity International has collaborated with universities
in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and India to establish MSc
Eastern and Southern Africa programmes in plant genetic resources management. Nepal’s
Ten universities were surveyed in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Tribhuvan University is in the process of designing a postgraduate
Zambia and Zimbabwe in 2007. None offered agrobiodiversity programme on agrobiodiversity management.
as a full programme at any level.
What are the emerging gaps and challenges?
Laurence Gough
The lack of agrobiodiversity programmes was mirrored in the Drawing on the above lessons, and a 2009 workshop in Kenya,
absence of dedicated courses on agrobiodiversity. Yet some a global picture emerges regarding the teaching and learning of
aspects of agrobiodiversity were included in other courses such agrobiodiversity:
• Agrobiodiversity is rarely a stand-alone course or full programme.
Entry points for teaching agrobiodiversity Partly this reflects a lack of career opportunities for graduates
Entry point Example content • Many courses contain elements of agrobiodiversity, but may not
cover the dynamic, multi-disciplinary dimensions of the subject
• Matching crop varieties to new climates
Adaptation to climate • Breeding for adaptation to climate variability • The concept of agrobiodiversity is often not well understood
change and change among students or even educators, and there are few clear
• Farmer resilience and adaptability definitions
• Value chains for neglected or underutilized species
Agricultural economics • There is a lack of integration of agrobiodiversity across sectors,
• Marketing of speciality foods or integration of indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge
• The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources • Existing curriculum structures may hinder the absorption of a
for Food and Agriculture new discipline such as agrobiodiversity, and few subject-specific
• The Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and learning resources are available
Agricultural policy Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture • National and international policies on agrobiodiversity are still
• The FAO “State of the World” reports on plant, animal and unclear
forest genetic resources
Entry points for teaching agrobiodiversity
• Farmers’ seed systems Integrating agrobiodiversity content into existing courses is likely to
Agronomy
• The use of diversity to mitigate risk be the preferred option for most universities. Bioversity International
has identified a number of entry points (see Box).
• Gene bank management
Crop science and • Participatory plant breeding Similarly, the next curriculum review is an opportunity to introduce
plant breeding • Pre-breeding a new course on agrobiodiversity in a variety of educational
• Wild relatives of crop species programmes. Some universities may opt to introduce a full
• Pollination programme on agrobiodiversity.
Ecosystems • Payment for environmental services
conservation • In-situ and on-farm conservation, eg, of cultivars A partnership for strengthening agrobiodiversity education in sub-
or non-timber forest products Saharan Africa was recently formed between Bioversity International,
the African Network on Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural
• Selection and management of wild plants Resources Education (ANAFE), the Regional Universities Forum
Ethnobotany • The cultural significance of crops and wild plants for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and the Technical
• Pharmacologically active plants Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). A stakeholder
workshop was convened in January 2009, and a task force was
established to implement the action plan, including the development
• Food diversity and food composition of a curriculum framework for agrobiodiversity.
Health and nutrition • Nutrition and traditional foods
• Agrobiodiversity and traditional medicine A key information resource for both students and faculty
is the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research (www.
Soil and water • Resilience in agro-ecosystems agrobiodiversityplatform.org). PAR is an initiative for sharing
management • Microbial biodiversity knowledge, identifying research needs and stimulating research
partnerships around agrobiodiversity.
Bioversity International
Via dei Tre Denari, 472a
00057 Maccarese This poster draws on a briefing paper of the same title. The brief is available online at
Rome, Italy
Further information:
p.rudebjer@cgiar.org
http://www.bioversityinternational.org
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