Objectives

  • This session will tackle how policies shape agroecology approaches that help to protect and manage agrobiodiversity (for better or for worse) and for meeting people’s needs with sustainable use and benefit-sharing.
  • Agroecology as a systems approach is a potent lever in addressing the complex challenges food production systems pose for biodiversity at multiple scales. It offers a comprehensive approach for countries to fulfill their commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which sets out an ambitious plan to implement broad-based action to bring about a transformation in our societies’ relationship with biodiversity. This is consistent with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) which provides a framework for the conservation, access, and equitable sharing of benefits from plant genetic resources, and will therefore play a vital role in the implementation of the GBF, and vice versa.
“To bring people together to share innovative traditional and scientific knowledge on how FFPOs and IPLC organizations can advance agroecological practices, agrobiodiverse planting materials and climate smart business and finance models that enrich nature and nutrition”

Frequently Asked Questions

Agrobiodiversity (agricultural biodiversity) is ‘the subset of biodiversity found within agroecosystems (agricultural ecosystems), including the variety and variability of animals, plants, micro-organisms and wild foods at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels, which are necessary to sustain key functions of those agroecosystem’. It is a key component of agroecology and has multiple benefits including: food security and livelihood resilience, nutritional and health benefits, the provision of biomass energy and household materials, preservation of biocultural heritage, and the maintenance of ecosystem services including climate change mitigation.

Agroecology is the ‘the application of ecological approaches to agriculture’. It aims to employ management practices that use nature’s own cost-efficient processes to benefit production, ecological integrity of farms, and climate change adaptation. The practices are embedded in traditional knowledge and ever evolving local innovations that use renewable resources (nutrients, biomass, water) efficiently, thus decreasing the need for external resources such as agrochemicals.  In addition, agroecology promotes diversification of production and products, minimizing harm to nature and improving nature’s functionality in the benefit of production.

It is from 9-12 April, 2024

The conference is happening at Hotel Grande, Pokhara.

ORGANIZERS AND PARTNERS

The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) is a partnership between FAO, IIED, IUCN, and AgriCord, strengthening Forest and Farm Producer Organizations for improved livelihoods and climate-resilient landscape