Asia

2020 Annual Report Using biodiversity to forge strong partnerships to reverse food threats in Asia

Asia is known for its biodiversity. It is home to a wide variety of globally important indigenous wild and semi-domesticated crop species. Yet these crops are neglected, underutilized and even under threat, replaced by more common homogenous staple foods. We believe that making traditional foods like indigenous fruits and vegetables more widely available can reduce poverty and malnutrition in Asia -- and around the world. 

Partnerships to champion indigenous foods 

Traditional foods are often safeguarded by local and indigenous peoples. By mainstreaming these foods, we plan to pave the way for these communities to improve diets, nutrition and boost livelihoods for improved food and nutrition security. With a greater diversity of indigenous and nutritious foods, farmers will have more and healthier choices about what to put on the table and supply regional and urban markets. Meanwhile, agricultural practices that incorporate more holistic agricultural produce also address environmental concerns such as degradation of ecosystems and increased risk and vulnerability to climate change.

The Alliance helps unite partners across different sectors to address biodiversity loss. Together, we work to boost nutritious food supplies and increase diversity in the food system. This will help protect and sustain the environment in the long term and contribute to healthy diets and diverse food baskets.

By working alongside a wide range of partners - including farmers, policymakers and researchers - we have found that food biodiversity and conservation can be improved. For example, in collaboration with ethnic minorities in Northern Vietnam, the Alliance is bringing clean and high-quality seeds of nutritious indigenous crops like H’mong mustard to the table, with knock-on impacts for improved nutrition and livelihoods, especially for women. 

Communities at the heart of change 

We advocate for stronger, multi-level, cross-sectoral approaches that better harness food biodiversity conservation and sustainable use to address biodiversity loss and malnutrition. We have a rich history in the region of working alongside farmers for diverse, nutrient-rich indigenous vegetables. In the past year, we worked with communities, ethnic groups, and vulnerable populations to support the production of local, nutritious and indigenous plants and vegetables to strengthen local value chains in Vietnam, India, and Sri Lanka. This all-inclusive approach has helped revive plant species previously under threat and improve local livelihoods by providing other income-generating options, as well as food security. 

In Sri Lanka, the Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Project has helped pave the way for thriving local food markets that sell traditional crops, while giving reliable livelihoods to communities, especially women. In Nepal, we worked with local and national policy level decision-makers to develop tools that can mainstream their use and increase the value of traditional mountain crops. In India, the Alliance worked with communities across seven states to diversify crop production, producing 20 new rice varieties and nine products derived from them. The collaboration supports food-secure livelihoods through community seed banks and minimizing community vulnerability to climate extremes such as drought.

Aligning our research with strategic initiatives such as the UN Food Systems Summit’s Action tracks, our work ensures that the benefits of a more holistic, diverse food system reach every member of the community, from government offices to schools, markets and homes. Going forward, we continue to build tools and guide informed decision-making for more diverse diets and ecosystems for international development organizations, national and local government agencies, the private sector, and civil society.