The Role of Genetic Diversity in Ensuring Food Security in South Asia

Abstract

Genetic diversity in the field is the key to long-term sustainable food production. In agriculture and forestry, genetic diversity can enhance production in all agricultural and ecosystem zones. Genetic erosion is the loss of genetic diversity, which is being caused not just at the level of individual genes but at the level of gene combination, which is even more dangerous. The main cause of genetic erosion is varietal replacement. However, there are many traditional varieties that are extremely high yielding and that can, in fact, form a much bigger mix of varieties available in the field than this very narrow approach to increasing productivity would suggest. Genetic erosion is happening at a more rapid pace in developing countries because of the somewhat faulty planning to bring about change and increase productivity. Above all, agrobiodiversity, which is genetic diversity related to agriculture, is threatened not because of overuse but because it is not used

Keywords

Genetic diversity food agriculture forestry genetic erosion varietal replacement productivity conservation agrobiodiversity gender indigenous knowledge social structure

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References

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation). 1999. ‘What is Happening to Agrobiodiversity?’ accessed from http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5609e/y5609e02.htm (accessed on 14 May 2010).

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation). 2004. ‘Soil Biota and Biodiversity: The “Root” of Sustainable Agriculture’, accessed from http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/agll/soilbiod/docs/SB-brochure-sept.pdf (accessed on 14 May 2010).