The UN food agency on Friday warned about the threat to the future of the world's food production from a lack of biodiversity in the environment.

In a report, the first of its kind by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it said there was "mounting evidence that the biodiversity that underpins our food systems, at all levels, is declining around the world."

That is putting food production and the environment "under severe threat," the FAO warned.

"Once lost, plant, animal and micro-organisms species that are critical to our food systems, cannot be recovered."

Biodiversity enables agriculture systems to be more resilient to shocks such as disease and pest outbreaks, as well as coping with climate change.

The report citied as examples the dramatic fall in food production from infestations such as the potato blight in Ireland in the 1840s and the losses of the tropical taro plant in Samoa in the 1990s.

The FAO says the drivers for biodiversity loss include changes in land and water use and management, pollution and overharvesting.

Geographically, Latin America and the Caribbean, rich in biodiversity, also report the largest number of threatened wild food species, such as crustaceans, fish and insects.

The Rome-based agency says countries are adopting biodiversity-friendly practices from sustainable forest management to an ecosystem approach to fisheries and organic agriculture -- but more needs to be done. Governments and the international community need to step up efforts to stop the loss of biodiversity.

Protecting the world's food supply is critical as an estimated 821 million people already suffer from chronic hunger, and by 2050 the plant's population is expected to rise from 7.7. billion to close to 10 billion, according to UN data.

Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Germany launches push to halve food waste by 2030
Berlin (AFP) Feb 20, 2019
Germany launched a drive Wednesday to halve food waste by 2030 as research shows every consumer on average throws away 55 kilogrammes (120 pounds) of edibles a year. The new strategy would target households, producers, retailers and the restaurant industry to get them to cut down the 11 million tons of food wasted a year. The new push would aim to help Germany meet UN and EU targets and reduce its climate footprint, said Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Minister Julia Kloeckner. "Every produ ... read more