1. Bioversity International
Rio+20 & Underutilized Species
Trends, progress and future needs
Stefano Padulosi
Bioversity International
International Consultation: “20 Years of Rio: Biodiversity, Development, Livelihoods” M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, February 15-17, 2012

2. Objective
Reflections on progress on relevant Rio Declaration Principles under the lenses of the sustainable conservation and use of neglected and underutilized species (NUS)

3. The Great Paradox of Todays’ Agriculture
300,000
100,000
30,000
7,000
120 30 3
Known plant species
Used by humankind
Edible
Used as food at local level
Important at national scale
Provide 90% of plant calories
Provide 60% (rice, wheat, maize)
The narrowing down of the world’s food basket is limiting dramatically our ability to address malnutrition as well as retain many other well-being benefits originating from agricultural biodiversity. Recent food crises in 2008 has dramatically reminded us of that.

4. minor Local underexploited neglected orphan underdeveloped ALTERNATIVE
Once pillar of sustainability, now thousands of species have become irrelevant in mainstream Agriculture…
minor
NEW
orphan
neglected
underexploited
underdeveloped
underutilized
lost
promising
Local
Traditional
ALTERNATIVE
niche

5. Neglected and Underutilized Species from past popularity…
Nutritional value appreciated by people
Hardiness, good adaptability, versatility in use
Rich associated food culture and traditions 5

6. ...to current decline! Poor economic competitiveness with comm. crops
Lack of improved vars/ enhanced cultivation practices
Drudgery in value addition
Disorganized or non-existent market chains
Perception of being “food of the poor” 6

7. 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development : 27 Principles
1. The role of humans.
8. Reduction of Unsustainable Patterns of Prod. and Consumption
15. Precautionary principle
22. Ind. Peoples have a Vital Role
2. State sovereignty
9. Capacity Building for Sust. Development
16. Internalization of Environmental Costs
23. People under Oppression
3. The Right to development
10. Public participation
17. Environmental Impact Assessments
24. Warfare
4. Environmental Protection in the Dev. Process
11. National Environmental Legislation
18. Notification of Natural Disaster
25. Peace, Development and Environmental Protection
5. Eradication of Poverty
12. Supportive and Open International Economic System
19. Prior and Timely Notification
26. Resolution of Environmental Disputes
6. Priority for the Least Developed
13. Compensation for Victims of Pollution and other Envir. Damage
20. Women have a Vital Role
27. Cooperation between State and People
7. State Cooperation to Protect Ecosystem
14. State Cooperation to Prevent environmental dumping
21. Youth Mobilization

8. Principles relevant to NUS
1. The role of humans.
8. Reduction of Unsustainable Patterns of Prod. and Consumption
15. Precautionary principle
22. Ind. Peoples have a Vital Role
2. State sovereignty
9. Capacity Building for Sust. Development
16. Internalization of Environmental Costs
23. People under Oppression
3. The Right to development
10. Public participation
17. Environmental Impact Assessments
24. Warfare
4. Environmental Protection in the Dev. Process
11. National Environmental Legislation
18. Notification of Natural Disaster
25. Peace, Development and Environmental Protection
5. Eradication of Poverty
12. Supportive and Open International Economic System
19. Prior and Timely Notification
26. Resolution of Environmental Disputes
6. Priority for the Least Developed
13. Compensation for Victims of Pollution and other Envir. Damage
20. Women have a Vital Role
27. Cooperation between State and People
7. State Cooperation to Protect Ecosystem
14. State Cooperation to Prevent environmental dumping
21. Youth Mobilization

9. Principle 3. The Right to development
‘The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations’
Argument: NUS are part of large biodiversity portfolio that is until today poorly addressed by R&D. Opportunities for better nutrition, health, incomes and ecosystem health are being missed, undermining those instruments that would allow the realization of this very principle.
Action: international community to give greater recognition to the strategic development role of NUS and lend more support to their use enhancement through a biodiversity-based ever Green revolution.

10. Mediterranean: 137 vegetables
Example: wealth of species that can be strategic allies in sustainable development
Ghana: 2,500 useful
Kenya: 800 food species
Mediterranean: 137 vegetables
China: 5,000 medicinal
North America: 1,112 edible
India: 2,500 medicinal
Malaysia:
800 fruit trees
Sahel: 800 edible
Swaziland: 200 edible
Peru:
168 home gardens

11. Principle 6. Priority for the Least Developed
The special situation and needs of developing countries, particularly the least developed and those most environmentally vulnerable, shall be given special priority. International actions in the field of environment and development should also address the interests and needs of all countries.
Argument: biodiversity and especially NUS are strategic for the least developed and vulnerable countries/people. The implementation of this principle has not been taken this dimension into due consideration, continuing to focus on commodity crops only. Global commodities are not the only solution for agricultural development.
Action: Agricultural development needs a paradigm shift to include crops and species that provide multiple advantages to least developed countries.

12. Example: African leafy vegetables
Per 100 gm
Amaranth
(leaf)
Cleome
Nightshade
Cabbage
Iron mg
8.9
6.0
1.0
0.7
Calcium mg
410
288
442 47
ß carotene ųg
5716
10452
3660
100
These averages hide important differences between varieties of same species, and between different growing areas and conditions. Nevertheless, key point is that local species and varieties can be much more nutritious.
Vegetables and breeding for nutrition ignored to date.
KENRIK poster for Maundu at Kenya National Museums

13. Example: Cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule): important source of resistance to frost for Andean countries
only 20 landraces of cañihua left out of 200
85 % farmers planting same landrace

14. Principle 9. Capacity Building for Sustainable Development
States should cooperate to strengthen endogenous capacity-building for sustainable development by improving scientific understanding through exchanges of scientific and technological knowledge, and by enhancing the development, adaptation, diffusion and transfer of technologies, including new and innovative technologies.
Argument: largest gap in research exist with regard to NUS research. Very little has been done towards consistent approach to implement principle as applied to these species.
Action: Capacity building is needed at all levels, from the community to University levels.

15. Bolivia: drudgery in processing quinoa
Greater efficiency in de-saponification (from 1-4 hrs to just 7 minutes!)
Bolivia: drudgery in processing quinoa

16. Elimination of drudgery

17. Example: Capacity Building at University level

18. Strengthening capacities through strategic alliances with private sector

19. Principle 15. Precautionary principle
In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.
Argument: NUS are important part of the agro-ecosystem. Their loss affects millions of farmers who are pushed to abandon them because of low economic competitiveness. This condition affects the agro-ecosystem whose resilience is reduced but it does impact also nutrition security and other livelihood aspects.
Action: Major initiatives to support monitoring, conservation of NUS both in situ and ex situ methods are needed in order to prevent losses to take place.

20. National Geographic 2011
Study conducted in 1983 by the Rural Advancement Foundation International gave a clue to the scope of the problem. It compared USDA listings of seed varieties sold by commercial U.S. seed houses in 1903 with those in the U.S. National Seed Storage Laboratory in The survey, which included 66 crops, found that about 93 percent of the varieties had gone extinct..

21. Ex situ conservation: NUS largely under-represented in the world’ s 1740 gene banks (ca 15-20% of 7.4 mil acc.)
>80 % of all non-major crop species conserved in ex situ collections (ca 5000/6000) are on average represented by less than 10 accessions.. 21

22. Genetic erosion of NUS: minor millets
Map of little millet in Kolli Hills: severe genetic erosion taking place in spite of appreciation by people of nutritional and cultural values

23. Participatory Monitoring & Red Lists for cultivated species
IFAD-CCAFS funded Project launched in 2011 to develop methodology for community-based agrobiodiversity documentation and monitoring

24. Urgent Questions to Answer:
What is going on “on farm”?
How much genetic diversity are we losing?
How much of knowledge, culture, traditions is being lost?
What impacts all of this is having on people’ livelihood?

25. Biodiversity and Knowledge

26. Principle 20. Women have a Vital Role
Women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development.
Argument: The role of women for the sustainable conservation and use of agrobiodiversity/ NUS until now has not been adequately recognized, valorized and supported.
Action: much more is needed to support such role, including development of enabling policies.

27. NUS: ample scope for contributing towards the empowerment of women
IFAD-NUS Capacity Building Training on Value Addition at Home Sciences College, UAS, Bangalore 27

28. Principle 22. Indigenous Peoples have a Vital Role
Indigenous people and their communities and other local communities have a vital role in environmental management and development because of their knowledge and traditional practices. States should recognize and duly support their identity, culture and interests and enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development.
Argument: with regard to NUS such as role is essential. Although recognition has emerged, this must be followed by concrete interventions to mobilize precious knowledge and practices for sustainable community development. NUS are disappearing and so is also the unique wealth of culture associated to them.
Action: need to rescue, document, valorize IK and practices.

29. Example: relevance of IK for agrobiodiversity
Bioversity’s descriptor list for date palm (above) and the one (left) developed by Mr Ben Said in Arabic and in his local language (“Tamazight”): precious documentation of classification of date palm diversity by farmers in North Africa.

30. Safeguarding the Indigenous Knowledge associated to target crops
Wth regard to NUS this is highly strategic to:
Valorization/ use enhancement
Reintroduction of diversity
Self esteem/ identity
Agri-tourism efforts

32. Conclusions
1992 Rio Declaration: several Principles relevant to use enhancement of NUS to support sustainable development, particularly in least developed areas
Change of paradigm: shifting to one-size-fits-all approach to a diversity of solutions tailored to local conditions- NUS are part of this new paradigm needed
NUS for the future: recommending special mention of NUS in our renovated commitment to Rio+
Capacity building: from communities to Universities
Role of women: NUS instruments of empowerment
Policy change: need for enabling policies

33. Thank you!!