Farmer-centred approaches for turning biodiversity commitments into actions

Mid this year, a gathering took place in Quebec, Canada, where global leaders, agricultural experts, farmers and farmer organizations, and biodiversity advocates convened to accelerate the transition from biodiversity commitments to tangible actions. Co-organized by University Laval, the Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie (MRIF) of Quebec, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the “Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Food Security: From Commitments to Actions conference” aimed to address one of the world’s most pressing challenges: how to preserve biodiversity while feeding a growing population.

The focal point of this conference was the development of a technical roadmap for effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and taking into consideration active involvement of the farming community. This roadmap is crucial in supporting global efforts to adapt and transform agriculture, aiming to create sustainable, biodiversity-conscious systems that also address climate change. It highlights not only the deep interdependence between agriculture and biodiversity but also the urgent need for integrated action across sectors, and the critical role that farmers would play.

“The CGIAR Environmental Health and Biodiversity Platform is working towards providing stakeholders with robust scientific evidence to inform effective implementation of frameworks like the KMGBF. We do this through engaging with key stakeholders to identify knowledge gaps for informed research priorities on integrating biodiversity into agriculture,” said Cargele Masso, CGIAR Environmental Health & Biodiversity Platform Director adding, “The conference was also an opportunity for the Platform to harvest feedback loops required to inform our research priorities based on knowledge gaps co-identified together with the key stakeholders and participants in for the integration of biodiversity into agriculture.”

Agriculture and biodiversity: a symbiotic relationship

Agriculture, while essential for human survival, is one of the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss due to factors like deforestation, monoculture practices, chemical use, and pollution. However, it also depends heavily on healthy ecosystems. Biodiversity supports agriculture by providing ecosystem services like pollination, nutrient cycling, and soil health, all of which are crucial for crop and livestock productivity.

The conference highlighted this dual role and emphasized the need for more sustainable agricultural practices that are mindful of and promote biodiversity. The goal is clear: we must find ways to produce food in a manner that preserves the environment and the diversity of genetic resources, while still meeting the needs of society.

Despite this clarity, numerous challenges remain. The role of agriculture in biodiversity conservation is often overlooked in policy frameworks, both nationally and internationally. Additionally, farmers and agricultural workers face a difficult balancing act, striving to adopt sustainable practices while maintaining livelihoods. These tensions underscore the importance of engaging farmers and other agricultural stakeholders directly in biodiversity solutions.

Key Recommendations: from knowledge to action

The conference concluded with a set of four key recommendations to guide the technical roadmap, aiming to address the gaps between knowledge and action, turning global commitments into practical, on-the-ground change: (i) Increase Knowledge on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture; (ii) Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices; (iii) Implementation of Global Frameworks; and (iv) Coordinated Actions Within National Policies.

Farmers are also the most critical actors in this space and working with them for shared vision, co-identification of innovative financing and technical solutions that benefit them, and listening to their greatest challenges and successes is one of the viable ways that this roadmap can be implemented.

A call for global collaboration

• The Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Food Security conference set the stage for a concerted effort towards more sustainable agricultural practices. The technical roadmap developed during the conference created a clear call to action: enhance the visibility and actions that farmers are taking. This provides a clear pathway from knowledge to action, outlining how global biodiversity commitments can be realized at national and local levels.
• Implementing the roadmap will require collaboration across sectors and borders. The involvement of diverse stakeholders—farmers, indigenous peoples, scientists, policymakers, and businesses among others—will be essential to its success.

“The Environmental Health and Biodiversity Impact Platform is working towards making these connections and creating a community of practice to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem gains in food, land, and water systems. Our actions taken today help to transform our agricultural systems and will determine our ability to feed the world tomorrow,” stated Masso.