Biodiversity & Genetic Diversity for Food Production
Biodiversity & Genetic Diversity including pollinators & beneficial insects are essential for food production.
This Resource is a continuation of Natural Resources. For more information, please refer to Education.
Biodiversity for Food Production
Biodiversity refers to variation within the living world.
In comparison, genetic diversity represents the heritable variation within and between populations of organisms.
Above all, large diversity of both biodiversity and genetic resources plays a crucial role in food production and nutritional needs.
Also, insects are essential for pollination services. Over seventy-five percent of the world’s food crops rely on pollination including specific types of grains, vegetables, fruits, and oil crops.
And beneficial insects also serve as natural predators for pest control.
In summary, Biodiversity and Genetic Diversity are essential for agricultural food production, productivity, food security and sustainable food resources.
Genetic Diversity for Food Security
Genetic Diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments.
Examples of genetic resources for food and agriculture plants, crops, animals, aquatic resources, forests, micro-organisms, and invertebrates.
Above all, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that the diversity of genetic resources for food and agriculture plays a crucial role in meeting basic human food and nutritional needs. So these are the biological basis of food security.
However, plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) require diversity. For example, diversity of seeds and planting material of traditional varieties and modern cultivars, crop wild relatives and other wild plant species.
In addition, plant genetic resources are used as food, feed for domestic animals, fibre, clothing, shelter, and energy.
Plus the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA is necessary to ensure crop production and meet growing environmental challenges and climate change.
In agriculture, each crop typically has many seed varieties.
And, for each crop various cultivars have been developed that contain desirable genetic characteristics.
For example, plants are selectively bred for phenotypic traits (such as more drought resistant) and other hereditary traits.
- Last Modified: May 17, 2024