Food sovereignty for food security: how protecting traditional knowledge and agro-biodiversity can be part of the solution

FoodSovereigntyforFoodSecurityHowprotectingtraditionalknowledgeandagro‐biodiversitycanbepartofthe

solution

Workshop“Managingwildspeciesandsystemsforfoodsecurity”Co‐organizedbyBioversityInternationalandCIFOR

IUCNWorldConservationCongressJeju(Korea),6‐15September2012

CristinaEghenterDeputyDirectorforSocialDevelopment

WWF‐Indonesia

• Thephysicallimitsofagriculture(land,productivity,intensification,etc)?

• Lowinvestmentandinnovation• Thesupplyvsdemandargument:Foodscarcity?

• Whosedemandforfood?

• Thedistributionalandequitydimensionsoffoodsecurity

Ecosystemandbiodiversityconservation&foodsecurity:

TheRisks•Morelandclearing•Lossofbiodiversitycanalsomeanlossoffoodandcultural/spiritualsystem

•Lossoftraditionalknowledgeandpracticesassociatedwithsmallagroforestryandagriculturalregimes•Increaseddisempowermentandcreationofpoverty

Foodsecurityisnotonlyamatterofquantityoffood,butalsoofthediversityandqualityoffood,andrelatedcultivars,equallyatthebasisofasustainableandmeaningfulfood&livelihoodsystemItisthelocalenrichmentandactiveexperimentsandpracticesoflocal&Indigenouspeople(menandwomen)thathaveoftenshapedthevarietyofcultivarsanddiversityoffoodplantsofourplanet

Foodsovereignityasawaytorecognizerightsanddiversity,andestablishfairprotectionclaimsoverthegeneticresourcesthatmakeupagro‐biodiversity

• Highbiodiversityisasalientfeatureoftraditionalfarmingsystems• ‘Local’featureoftraditionalfarmingsystems:agrobiodiversity

nurturedinveryspecificenvironmentsandmicro‐climates,influencedbyculturaltraditionsandstrongpreferences

• TheresultsofsurveysconductedbylocalpeopleintheHighlandsofKrayan,KecamatanKrayanSelatan,KabupatenNunukan(2005):over(20)localvarietiesofdurian“datu”fruitorvarietieswithenoughphenotypicalandsensorialdistinctcharacteristicstowarrantadifferentnameinthelocallanguage

• Over(40)varietiesofriceareplantedinanyplantingseasonbetweentheBahauandPujungansub‐districtsinMalinau.InKrayanSelatan,(22)varietiesofpaddyricewerecultivatedinthesixsettlementsofthesub‐districtofKrayanSelatanin2007and(4)hillricevarieties.

• AstudyoftwocommunitiesinSarawak(Christiansen2002)foundthatlocalpeoplehaveknowledgeofover1,144species,representingmorethan172botanicalfamilies.Around20%ofthespeciesknownandusedarecultivated,semi‐managedordomesticated.Around50%ofthesespecieshavemultipleuses.Themostimportantoftheseusesisfood.

• The‘diversity’and‘locality’ofcultivarsandgeneticresourcesisawaytobuildresilience,adaptabilityandreducevulnerabilitybymaintainingdiverseandadaptiveplantsthatcancopewithclimateandenvironmentalcrises.

• Thevarietiesalsoneedtoberecognized,andorigin

andnamesmaintained,aspartofafairfood

sovereigntyprogram.

• Isconservationandsovereigntyofagro‐biodiversityandlocalcultivarsthesolutiontofoodsecurity?Notbyitself,butitisanimportantdimensiontoconsiderandintegrateinpoliciestoensurelong‐termsecurityandsustainabilityinconservationlandscapes.

• Foodsecuritywillalsorequiretechnologicalandfinancialinvestmentinsustainablefarmingpractices,moreinnovation,tenuresecurity,andoverallgoodgovernanceofthelandandothernaturalresources.

• Someimportantpolicieswillalsoneedtobefollowedupandimplemented:AccessandBenefitSharing(ABS)protocol(andCommunityProtocolstoprotectcustomarypracticesandknowledge);thwinstitutionoftheofficeforfoodsecurityoftheMinistryofAgriculturewhichhasanexplictmandatetoidentifyanddeveloplocalfoodplants/cropsintegratedandinlinewithtraditionalknowledgeasabasisfordiversificationofstaplefood.

WWFIndonesiaplanstoengageinmore:fieldactionandadvocacyinsupportofagro‐biodiversityandrecognitionofrelatedtraditionalknowledge

•Focusonsmallfarmsareasasignificantshareofagriculturalproduction•Promoteenvironment‐friendlymethodsandinvestment•Documentationandprotectionofbio‐culturalknowledgesystemsrelatedtoplantsandcrops(communitypotocols;registryandbanksoftraditionalseeds)•Managementofcompetingclaimsoverlandusetoavoidlandgrabbingforbiofuelsandcattlefeed•Promotegoodgovernanceofnaturalcapitalbyinvolvingtherelevantstakeholdersandright‐holders,andbasedonmeaningfulcollaborationandfairpartnerships•Inlandscapesandregionswheretraditionalmanagementpractices,customarylanduse,localwisdomandrichbiodiversityarelinkedinstrongandadaptivesystems,theseneedtobemaintainedsothattheycanserveasabasisforsustainableandresilientgreeneconomies.

Photos©:Darius,Frans,Robertson,WWFIndonesia

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