The future of global food supply is at risk if people keep relying on a narrow range of food, the UN has revealed. Their report urges a re-imagining of farming and fishing practices and the introduction of new crops.
Image: Reuters
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The world's food supply is too reliant on an increasingly narrower number of species, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday.
The destruction of biodiversity is leaving food production systems susceptible to shocks such as disease, droughts and pests, as well as extreme weather events linked to climate change.
While some 6,000 plants species can be used for food, less than 200 varieties are widely eaten. Of those, only nine make up most of the world's crop production.
"The loss of biodiversity for food and agriculture is seriously undermining our ability to feed and nourish an ever-growing global population," the FAO's head, Jose Graziano da Silva, said in a statement.
"We need to use biodiversity in a sustainable way so that we can better respond to climate change challenges and produce food in a way that doesn't harm our environment," he added.
Ancient foods are good for you
There's a Noah's Ark in Austria. But this one is saving plants rather than animals. Its 13,000 members are cultivating endangered and rare crop varieties to secure the future of the world's food supply.
Image: Arche Noah
A showplace for unique and old flora
About an hour's drive from the Austrian capital of Vienna lies the picturesque village of Schiltern. It is here that ARCHE NOAH, or Noah's Ark, decided to plant a garden where visitors can admire and taste heirloom crops. Started in 1990, the association wants to preserve crop diversity and redevelop old varieties by encouraging people to grow and eat them.
Image: Arche Noah
Red, white and brown all over
Due to globalization and the industrialization of agriculture during the last century, the diversity of cultivated plants has plummeted. ARCHE NOAH estimates that we've already lost more than 75 percent of what once grew. These strikingly bright beets called Erfurt longs are the descendants of some of the earliest beets that were white and which have been farmed since the 8th century B.C.
Image: DW/C. Borrmann
Growing the range of diversity
ARCHE NOAH estimates that out of the 4,800 known crop species worldwide, about 100 varieties make up 90 percent of all harvested food. With this in mind the group collects varieties of plants from all over the world in its mission to preserve biodiversity — they already have more 620 different types of tomatoes and here are a few examples.
Image: Arche Noah
Picking a pack of Russian cucumbers
One of the biggest threats to crop diversity is the growing influence of seed monopolies and continuing genetic engineering. The Russian cucumber first appeared in Europe at the end of the 19th century. It develops a dark brown, corky and cracked skin when fully ripe. The plant is robust, holds up well in the cold and its fruit thrives in temperate climates without a greenhouse.
Image: DW/C. Borrmann
Building a closer relationship
Making consumers yearn for more plant biodiversity is also a goal of ARCHE NOAH — and one easily done in the foundation's kitchen where sumptuous meals are prepared. This colorful example shows some of the possibilities that the heirloom garden offers and may encourage some people to renew their relationship with plants and think more about what lands on their plates.
Image: DW
A sweet but long-forgotten treat
For centuries food was very local and crops spread slowly. The sugar root was known in ancient times and was a popular root vegetable during the Renaissance. But in Central Europe, higher-yielding vegetables such as potatoes replaced it by around the 16th century. The sweet, white roots grow in clusters and are a delight for food connoisseurs.
Image: DW/C. Borrmann
Working on the inside and the outside
Since small-scale farming is on the decline, the group not only wants to preserve old and rare varieties of fruits and vegetables, but also hopes to improve and develop them further. Take these Bernstein red beets: Here the aim was to preserve the "traditional" look while working on the sweet, balanced taste and the form.
Image: DW/C. Borrmann
Food to the rescue once again
This type of sorrel originally comes from the mountains of Europe and Southwest Asia. Since Roman times it has been cultivated as "Herba romana." The leafy plant is full of vitamin C and ideal for seasoning. Having a bigger basket of fruits and vegetables to choose from can be a way to guard against new diseases or climate change, believes ARCHE NOAH.
Image: Arche Noah
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The FAO analyzed data from 91 countries and said there was "mounting evidence" of the world's biodiversity being under "severe threat." Among the reasons were pollution, land use practices, badly managed water use and overharvesting.
As climate change steadily becomes a greater threat to biodiversity, it adds to the problem of direct pollution and deforestation to make way for crops.
The Rome-based FAO said sustainable forest management was needed, as well as an ecosystem-focused approach to fisheries and organic agriculture.
The report said food production must become more diverse and include species, even those that are not so widely eaten, which could be better equipped to withstand hostile climates and disease.
Of the 4,000 or so wild food species, nearly a quarter – including seagrass, crustaceans and fungi – are thought to be under threat. The worst-hit regions are Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Diversification could help fight malnutrition by making little-known but highly nutritious foods part of the mainstream, the FAO said. One example given was fonio — a small grain that is well-suited to hot climates and unpredictable weather patterns.
One in nine people worldwide are said have insufficient levels of food, with the global population expected to soar from 7.7 billion to 9.8 billion by 2050.
