Biodiversity is vital to food security

13 November 2024

As reported by FoodNavigator Europe, nature provides essential services like pollination, pest control, and waste decomposition. When biodiversity decreases, these services are reduced, making food production harder.

Without biodiversity, crops become more vulnerable to diseases and less nutritious. Farmers may rely on fewer crop types, leading to monocultures, which further reduce biodiversity and increase the need for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. A lack of diversity can lead to widespread crop failures and food shortages. This cycle also worsens biodiversity loss, soil degradation, pollution, economic losses, and health issues. 

Similarly, food production contributes to biodiversity loss. Pesticides harm fungi and animals, while excessive ploughing and overstocking livestock degrade soil.

Regenerative agriculture promotes biodiversity by adopting agricultural practices that sustain and improve it. SAFE participated in the RegAgri4Europe project from 2021 to 2022, which provides an online course on regenerative agriculture for farmers and apprentices.