1) Agricultural biodiversity is crucial for nourishing people and sustaining the planet, but challenges have increased in the 21st century, including poor diets, climate change impacts, exceeding environmental boundaries, and loss of biodiversity. 2) Bioversity International's strategy targets these 21st century challenges through research on consumption, production, planting, and safeguarding of biodiversity to achieve better nutrition, resilience, adaptation and conservation. 3) Bioversity International works across five regions and 35 countries, collaborating with various partners to integrate research findings into development programs and policies through strengthening institutions.

1. Bioversity International
Ann Tutwiler, Director General
5 April 2017
Photo:KrishnasisGhosh
Agricultural Biodiversity Nourishes People
and Sustains the Planet

2. The 20th Century Challenge: Food Insecurity
Over the past century, farmers and breeders have used genetic diversity to breed high-
yielding varieties. The Green Revolution brought new varieties and production methods
to developing countries, with significant results.
FAO Save and Grow, 2011 FAO Save and Grow, 2011

3. 21st Century Challenges More Complex

4. 21st Century Challenge:
Poor Diets Now World’s Number One Health Risk

5. 21st Century Challenge: Climate Anomalies
Impacts on Agriculture Predicted by 2050
Source: Adapted from Mathur 2014.

6. 21st Century Challenge: Exceeding Planetary Boundaries
Steffen et al., 2016

7. 21st Century Challenge: Shrinking biodiversity
(Data source: Kew, 2016; FAO, 1997)
5,538
390,000 3
12

8. Bioversity International’s Strategy Targets
21st Century Challenges
IMPACT: Better
nutrition,
enhanced
resilience,
improved climate
adaptation and
greater
agrobiodiversity
conservation
CONSUME PRODUCE PLANT SAFEGUARD
Productive and
resilient farms,
forests and
landscapes
Effective genetic
resources
conservation
and use
Healthy diets
from sustainable
food systems

9. Where We Work
5 regions 35 focus countries 20 offices 300 staff
Hotspots of Agricultural Biodiversity and Poverty

10. Collaborations with Rome-based Agencies
• Committee on World Food Security
• United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition
• Commission on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• Mainstreaming Nutrition

11. Participation in CGIAR Research Programs
Policies Institutes and Markets
Roots, Tubers and Bananas
Agriculture for Nutrition and Health
Water, Land and Ecosystems
Forests, Trees and Agroforestry
Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
Genebank Platform
Excellence in Breeding
Big Data

12. Bioversity International and partners are
researching how bananas naturally-rich
in vitamin A can become part of East
African diets to fight vitamin A deficiency.
Consume: Tackling Vitamin A Deficiency With
Banana Diversity
BioversityInternational/A.Vézina,courtesyofwww.musarama.org
Vitamin A deficiency - major public
health problem in many developing
countries.
500,000 children go blind every year and
half of those die from infections.

13. Produce: Biodiversity for Pest and Disease Management
Kasirira (a traditional variety) outperformed Nabe 4 (commercial variety) in
resistance trails to bean fly. Credit: Bioversity International/P. de Santis

14. Plant: Seeds for Needs – Crop Diversity For Resilience

15. Safeguard: Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Centre
Photo:BioversityInternational/N.Capozio

16. The Agrobiodiversity Index
Measuring Sustainable Food Systems
A global tracking service to guide policies
and investments that mainstream
agrobiodiversity into effective strategies for:
• food and nutrition security
• resilient food production systems.
Index can be applied at local, national and
global scale and to structure green bonds and
rate companies
Photos:BioversityInternational/A.Camacho,C.Zanzanaini,P.Bordoni,A.Drucker

17. Taking Our Research To Scale
Integrating into development
programmes (public, private)
Strengthening
institutions & policies
Validating
innovations
Developing
solutions &
options
Bioversity International
Development stakeholders (public, private)
National research institutions

18. Thank you
www.bioversityinternational.org/subscribe
@BioversityInt
M. Ann Tutwiler
a.tutwiler@cgiar.org
@anntutwiler