Objectives

  • To explore the extent to which nature finance supports agrobiodiversity and then make the case for more finance for agrobiodiversity and its smallholder/IPLC guardians, explore different finance mechanisms that exist for agrobiodiversity conservation, and showcase some Nepali case studies of financing for agrobiodiversity conservation (either those receiving such funds or those managing such schemes).
  • Smallholder forest and farm producers are the custodians of agrobiodiversity, but partly due to poverty and reliance on subsistence farming. 
  • Eliminating poverty through engaging with market mechanisms and instruments to finance the conservation of agrobiodiversity is key. This can be through the marketing of diverse baskets of products, but also through developing markets for agrobiodiversity as a public good or an ecosystem service (such as through biodiversity credits, offsets, or payments for ecosystem services).
  • Although still relatively new in Nepal and the rest of the world, this session explores the difference ways agrobiodiversity finance can be leveraged. It will give concrete examples of schemes rewarding the conservation of agrobiodiversity, particularly in Nepal, and highlight the lack of such finance currently being channelled to FFPOs and IPLCs.
“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