Agri scientists promote 2010 as biodiversity year

DAVAO CITY – An international group of agricultural scientists, in collaboration with other similar organizations, has mounted a global awareness campaign promoting 2010 as a United Nations-declared International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) “guaranteeing a wealth of partners and opportunities highlighting the importance and value of agricultural biodiversity.”

The campaign called Diversity for Life was initiated by Bioversity International (BI) to highlight the bond that connects agricultural biodiversity with culture and tradition, livelihoods, household food security, sustainable agriculture, adapting to climate change effects, and nutrition and health.

This was learned from Dr. Agustin Molina, BI senior scientist and regional coordinator for Asia and Pacific, who said that “food security issues are rife for a major effort to promote and increase awareness on the importance of agricultural biodiversity.”

According to Molina, more than half of 23 crops their group studied – cereals like rice, corn, wheat, rye, and oat – will lose land that is suitable for their cultivation due to climate change by year 2055.
The conversion of agricultural lands has further limited the amount of space available for producing food, thus contributing to the current food crisis, Molina said, citing a recent study.

“Ironically, these trends threaten agricultural biodiversity, the very tool that is most likely to offer a solution to the significant growth in population against finite resources,” Molina said.

The Rome-based Biodiversity International partners with the Pest Management Council of the Philippines (PMCP) in promoting the Diversity for Life campaign in the country, he said.

PCMP has hosted here its 41st annual scientific conference which started Tuesday and ended Friday with the theme “Biodiversity Conservation Through Science-based Pest Management.”

Dr. Emile Frison, BI director-general, lauded PMCP for the theme saying it “clearly reflects the relevant interdependence of sustainable pest management and the use and conservation of agro-biodiversity.

It comes at a time when agriculturists the world over are faced with the daunting challenge of mitigating serious pest and disease problems that are affecting important agricultural crops in the current monoculture and intensive production systems.”