Title: Training Module - Agriculture and Biodiversity
KeyWords: Agriculture Biodiversity, Glimpse of soil Bodiversity, Agro-diversity, knowledge framework
Year of Publication: 2019
ISSN No: NA
Author Name: Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi
Details:
INTRODUCTION
Biodiversity not only acts as an insurance for food availability under various predicted environmental stress like climate change, nutrient depletion, etc. but also it provides a marginal and poverty ridden societies with high nutritional variety in terms of vitamins, minerals and other micro nutrients.
Agricultural sector gains from biodiversity and at the same time contribute towards it. Diversity in agricultural-ecological systems provides many crop specific benefits and ecosystem services like biological pest protection, nutrient replenishing, erosion control, water quality, and many others. Since agricultural land covers a major portion of earth’s surface, they are the prominent landscapes for in-situ biodiversity conservation. Changing socio-ecological systems needs shift in frameworks for better addressing biodiversity crisis using good governance and stewardship incentives at State level with effective inter- departmental cooperation/collaboration to serve greater goals.
Capacity development of the involved stakeholder and future decision makers with respect to agricultural biodiversity is important for sustainable agricultural development and at the same time maintaining environmental sustainability. Changes at the local scale are equally crucial, including farmers’ traditional knowledge, land-use practices and decisions, livelihood systems, migration patterns, and the role of local institutions.
Such engagement should be based on the “co-construction” of knowledge, drawing on both scientific and local knowledge. Capacity building is then not just about transferring skills and technologies, but also about changing the wider system through the knowledge, skills and crucially, attitudes (values, mind-sets and behaviours) that the concerned stakeholders need. A key role in implementing the specifically chosen agrobiodiversity agenda, through capacity development and knowledge creation and sharing, lies with all the stakeholder involved in agricultural system including farmers, government officials, NGOs, research institutions and community organisations.