8 THE STATE OF USE OF BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
8.5 Gaps and priorities for the sustainable use of biodiversity for food and agriculture
8.5.1 Developing targeted management practices that favour the use of biodiversity for food and agriculture
As a result of political priorities, consistent management actions in favour of biodiversity are more common in the environmental than in the agricultural community. In the agricultural sector, most of the management practices or actions that are of benefit to the use of biodiversity for food and agriculture are not necessarily put in place with that objective. Particularly the conservation and use of associated species does not tend to be prioritized in the management strategies of the
various production systems, even if the awareness on their importance to food production and food security is increasing.
More resources need to be allocated to strengthen research on and promote the use of management practices or actions that favour the use of biodiversity for and agriculture.
8.5.2 Strengthening the implementation of ecosystem approaches
Ecosystem approaches are being adopted in several production systems (e.g. in the forestry and fishery sectors). Even so, there are still quite a few major information and knowledge gaps that might hinder the implementation of such approaches.
In the various production systems, particularly little is known about regulating and supporting ecosystem services and the extent to which the delivery of these services is exposed to risk.
To address this relatively complex issue, a first step could be to map the main ecosystem services of relevance to the production system, as well as of the organisms involved, followed by a risk
assessment to identify their threats, if any. Such information is of crucial importance to the development and implementation of holistic policies and management strategies, such as the ecosystem approach.
To increase the number of organic farmers and the area under organic cultivation a subsidy scheme has been put into place. The subsidies that have been granted so far have mainly been linked to the size of the area under organic cultivation. To further promote the values of organic agriculture it might be useful to also link these subsidies to, inter alia, the extent to which the farmer contributed to improve the soil structure and health of the land under cultivation, or to whether initiatives have been undertaken to (pro)-actively manage the delivery of ecosystem services, for example by adopting pollinator friendly landscape practices.
Finally, the more practical aspects of organic farming could be strengthened in the trainings that are being given to organic farmers; these seem to have received too little attention so far.
8.5.3 Strengthening the characterization of traditional plant varieties and endangered native livestock breeds
In general, the use of diverse animal, plant, forest and aquatic genetic resources is recognized as important for sustainable and healthy food production and knowledge about these resources is well documented. In Norway’s animal breeding program, for example, the focus lies both on yield improvement and on the maintenance of genetic diversity within breeding populations. The breeding work is carried out by cooperative companies that focus on a single productive breed per livestock species. This approach enables farmers to share the breeding programme costs and to maintain genetic variation within the breed. Still, maintaining genetic variation is costly and time consuming and the contribution of traditional plant varieties and endangered native livestock breeds to food security tends to be undervalued. Characterizing these varieties and breeds should be prioritized to gain a better understanding of their potential values and use.
8.5.4 Enhancing knowledge about associated biodiversity for food and agriculture
Safeguarding associated biodiversity in and around production systems needs to move higher up on the political agenda. In order to do so decision-makers, farmers and consumers should firstly and foremost recognize the importance of these components of biodiversity to sustainable food production. This will require the acquisition of knowledge and the development of targeted awareness raising activities.
Overall, knowledge about associated biodiversity for food and agriculture is lacking. Very little is known about the distribution and functions of the different components of associated biodiversity in and around production systems. Moreover, the limited research that is undertaken with respect to associated biodiversity tends to focus on its conservation and not on its sustainable use.
The existing knowledge gaps with respect to most aspects of associated biodiversity are partly the result of the limited resources that are spent on research in this field. More human and financial resources need to be allocated to gain knowledge on how associated biodiversity can be conserved and used for sustainable and healthy food and forest production.
8.6 Key findings and remaining challenges
Key finding
a. A series of initiatives are in place to strengthen the maintenance and use of biodiversity for food and agriculture, with the Regional Environment Programme being among the most important ones.
b. In Norway’s forests, certain crop fields and large areas of marine and coastal waters, the ecosystem approach is general practice.
c. The use of diverse animal, plant, forest and aquatic genetic resources is recognized as important for sustainable and healthy food production.
d. The most significant contribution of wild foods to the population's food supply comes from commercial fishing.
e.
Remaining challenges
a. In the management strategies of food and forest production systems, the conservation and use of associated species does not tend to be prioritized, even if the awareness on their importance to these systems is increasing.
b. A few major information and knowledge gaps are hindering the implementation of ecosystem approaches. Particularly little is known about regulating and supporting
ecosystem services and the extent to which these services are exposed to risk in the various production systems.
c. Maintaining genetic variation is costly and time consuming. The contribution of traditional plant varieties and endangered native livestock breeds to food security still tends to be undervalued.
d. To ensure commercial fishing is sustainable, it is managed through an integrated marine environment plan. The implementation of this plan continues to be challenging in view of the complexity of marine ecosystems and the absence of data on several marine organisms and their interactions.