Improving the identification, handling and storage of “difficult” seeds ...

3.1. IPGRI presentation
Diversity for well-being:
making the most of agricultural biodiversity
Dr. Wilson Marandu
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
Change of Name
With effect from November 2006:
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute → Bioversity International
Overview
▪ Agricultural biodiversity
▪ IPGRI’s new strategy?
▪ IPGRI’s research activities – past and current
▪ IPGRI in the Sub Saharan Africa
▪ Challenges for the future
What is agricultural biodiversity?
▪ Agricultural biodiversity is a sub-set of general biological diversity developed as a result of
human activity in the search for food and livelihood
▪ Includes elements at all levels of the biological hierarchy, from genes to ecosystems, involved
in agriculture, forestry and food production.
Biological hierarchy:
Biological diversity encompasses all the levels of the biological organization from genes to
ecosystems. These levels are interdependent:
▪ Ecosystem
▪ Community
▪ Species
▪ Population
▪ Individual
▪ Gene
Agricultural biodiversity components:
▪ Three functional groups
- Species providing goods (food, medicines, shelter etc.) - diversity farmers have
developed and nurtured over centuries
- Species providing support services (pollinators, soil microorganism etc.)
- The pests pathogens and predators of the first two functional groups.
▪ Includes all crops and livestock, their wild relatives and all interacting species of pollinators,
symbionts, pests, parasites, predators and competitors.
Central challenge:
▪ Contribution of agricultural biodiversity to sustainable development
▪ Livelihoods (especially rural poor) and support and integration of diversity maintenance into
agricultural production.
▪ Diversity is vital for healthy agro-ecosystem function.
▪ Integration into national and international development polices.
▪ How to reverse the rate of loss of diversity