Agriculture, biodiversity and markets

[Extract] It is widely accepted that the sustainability of the global ecosystem in general, and of agriculture in particular, is dependent on the preservation, enhancement, and exploitation of biological diversity. Biological diversity - both wild and cultivated - underwrites the sustainability of agricultural production through the provision of the raw genetic material needed to drive innovation and adaptation, and through the provision of ecosystem processes and services that play important functional roles in agricultural systems. Agricultural biodiversity - or agrobiodiversity - plays a pivotal role in the livelihoods of all farmers regardless of resource endowment or geographical location. It provides the basic resources farmers need to adapt to varying conditions in marginal environments and the resources required to increase productivity in favourable areas. Clearly, there is a very close relationship between biodiversity and the livelihoods and well-being of agricultural communities. The need to protect and enhance agricultural biodiversity seems obvious. But what exactly does it meant to protect and enhance agricultural biodiversity? And how is this best achieved? As compelling as the case for agrobiodiversity may appear, these seemingly simple and straightforward questions demand complex and wide-ranging answers.