Using agricultural biodiversity
to build more resilient food systems
Ruben Echeverría
Ruben.echeverria@cgiar.org
EAT Forum Stockholm
11 June 2017

Today, global food supplies rely increasingly
on just a few crops
WHEAT RICE MAIZE POTATO
Old favorites:
And more recent ones:
SOYBEAN SUNFLOWER OIL
PALM OIL
+ MEAT AND DAIRY
PRODUCTS

Diets around the world are becoming more similar
http://ciat.cgiar.org/the-changing-global-diet/

Agriculture is facing compounding challenges
Feed 9 billion
people by 2050
with healthy food
While:
 Adapting to a changing climate
 Improving soil and water
conservation, and protecting
ecosystem services
 Reducing greenhouse gas
emissions

Agrobiodiversity to improve nutrition and health
High-iron beans reduced
iron deficiency and
anemia in young women
in Rwanda in as short as
four months.
Those beans were developed
through HarvestPlus using
native American beans
naturally high in iron and
conserved at CIAT genebank.
These beans can also tolerate
intermittent drought.

Agrobiodiversity to increase farmers’ income
CIAT scientists have worked
with Kasetsart University in
Thailand to crossbreed the
nation’s most popular variety
of cassava. Today, farmers are
earning more income from
cassava than any other country.
This high-starch variety was bred
from diverse varieties, including
samples collected in Venezuela
in 1967 and conserved at CIAT’s
genebank.

Agrobiodiversity to mitigate climate change
A productive Brachiaria
forage grass helped cut the
time it takes to raise cattle in
Brazil, while also significantly
reducing GHG emissions.
Brachiaria grasses are native
to Africa and the hybrid was
developed by CIAT and
Embrapa using the
collections held at CIAT
genebank.

ECONOMIC
BENEFITS
Farmers’ and
food system
productivity
SOCIAL BENEFITS
Food security
and nutrition
ENVIRONMENT
Sustainable food
production and
consumption
Sustainable and resilient
food systems=

9
Genebanks are the raw material
with which to
reshape agriculture and improve diets
for the 21st century
Peter Wenzl, Program Leader,
Genetic Resources, CIAT

http://ciat.cgiar.org/future-seeds/

Thank you!