Agricutural viodiversity to improve nutrition food security

摘要

APROJECT AIMED at using research and education to tackle growing global concerns over the negative health implications of poor nutrition and also improve food security was officially launched during the World Nutrition Rio Congress 2012 in Rio recently. A narrowing of variety in people's diets, with nutritionally-poor processed foods dominating the dinner table, has led to a raft of health issues. One third of the world's population is suffering from hunger and micronutrient malnutrition, while obesity and diet-related chronic illnesses have reached critical levels. The diversity of crops and their wild relatives, trees, animals, microbes and other species contributing to food production - known as agricultural biodiversity - can counter these trends, said Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International, which is coordinating the project to further research and promote the links between biodiversity and good nutrition. "Diversity of diet, founded on diverse farming systems, delivers better nutrition and greater health, with additional benefits for human productivity and livelihoods," Frison said. "Agricultural biodiversity is absolutely essential to cope with the predicted impacts of climate change."