Leveraging agricultural biodiversity for sustainable diets, highlighting Pacific Small Island Developing States

Abstract

Abstract Leveraging agricultural biodiversity for sustainable diets necessarily requires the coordinated and collaborative efforts of agriculture, health, and environment. This report reviews the topic—past, present and future—with particular reference to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific. The ecosystems of Pacific Island countries are rich in biodiversity that would support sustainable diets for their populations. Yet All Pacific SIDS are precarious in terms of their vulnerabilities to malnutrition in all its forms, and various manifestations of climate change and other anthropogenic and natural phenomena. Several global initiatives that address issues surrounding agricultural biodiversity for better diets are presented, including the Cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–20 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the UN Conference for Small Island Developing States and its SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway. Each is reviewed with Small Island Developing States of the Pacific providing examples of challenges and opportunities, along with successes, failures, and consequences from actions and inaction. Compositional data show the often-superior nutrient content Pacific SIDS biodiversity—i.e., neglected and underutilized species and local cultivars and varieties. When this nutritional superiority is recognized and promoted, the heretofore neglected foods are often effectively mainstreamed into diets, through cultivation on small farms and in school and home gardens. Many studies show that the greater the adherence to traditional food systems with indigenous food species and locally adapted varieties, the lower the prevalence of malnutrition. A review of national and global commitments shows that progress is slow in leveraging agrobiodiversity for improving diets. Nevertheless, the multisectoral engagements linking agriculture, health, and the environment, well-illustrated by SDG 2 among others, give some assurances that agrobiodiversity loss can be reversed and better nutritional outcomes can be achieved through sustainable, nutrition-driven and biodiversity-focused agricultural practices. It is a matter of life and death for Small Island Developing States.