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BULLETIN 1
CBD COP16.2 Side Event: “Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use of biodiversity within agrifood systems" Opening Remarks
CBD COP16.2 Side Event: “Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use of biodiversity within agrifood systems" Opening Remarks
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
February 24 2025
February 24 2025
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Partners and Colleagues,
I am pleased to welcome you to FAO Headquarters for the resumed meeting of the CBD COP16. FAO is your Organization and this is your home.
This is an important continuation of the discussion on biodiversity and agrifood systems.
Our focus on biodiversity and agriculture is based on science. I always ask what is the real meaning of biodiversity for the consumers and the farmers – it is about food diversity.
Biodiversity provides the foundation for food production, providing essential ecosystem services such as soil fertility, pest control, and climate adaptation.
Biodiversity is the backbone of resilient and diverse agrifood systems.
Any collapse in biodiversity brings high costs to people and social economies.
We need to produce more with less: more quantity, with more diversity, with less impact on the environment. Producing more with less – it’s a simple slogan which is already popular in Ministries of Agriculture, and I hope it can also be taken up by Ministries of Environment.
We need science and innovation, enabling policies and investments to minimize impact, and maximize output, ensuring everyone profits.
Continuing land degradation could put some three billion lives at risk, with the poor hardest hit. Biodiversity is also in the soil and in the water, yet we only speak about biodiversity on the surface. We need to discuss biodiversity in the context of all three spaces.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at COP15, provides common ground to work together. Over half of the Framework’s 23 targets are directly related to agriculture.
The Framework promotes integrated land and water management practices that preserve critical habitats and biodiversity, while mitigating climate change effects.
For this reason, we established the Rome Water Dialogue after the UN Water Conference because we need to look at biodiversity from a holistic, three-dimensional perspective.
That is why it is so important to integrate agrifood systems in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, as well as in rural development.
It is critical to get the farmers on board, for them to take ownership and be part of the partnership. Without the farmers, it is only political policy without implementation.
We need to make sure that countries have the necessary support to develop the comprehensive policies needed for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
I have visited Colombia about seven times over the past years and have seen the great potential for biodiversity. For example, the dragon fruit produced there has more colours than just white – this is the result of science and technology; of how science and technology can improve output and livelihoods.
Dear Friends,
At COP16 in Cali, Colombia, FAO together with the CBD Secretariat and the COP16 Presidency, launched the Agri Support Initiative to accelerate the implementation of the Biodiversity Framework.
The initiative provides us with a collective mechanism to help governments build capacity, identify and implement strategic levers across agrifood systems to achieve their national biodiversity targets.
But we also need to increase the availability and affordability of financial services for biodiversity and agrifood systems. We need the political commitment for biodiversity as it is a public good. For example, we need political investment in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are the cradles of biodiversity, but there is no political recognition of this value and the need to invest in these countries.
Including agrifood systems in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans can unlock funding opportunities through international mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and national budgets.
We need an integrated approach across government sectors, across Ministries, to ensure the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind.
This is the common philosophy we need to produce staple, nutritious, healthy and functional foods – the four levels of foods.
So let us continue to work together for people and the planet.
Thank you.
See https://www.fao.org/director-general/speeches/details/cbd-cop16.2--side-event----meeting-people-s-needs-through-sustainable-use-of-biodiversity-within-agrifood-systems--opening-remarks/en
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Partners and Colleagues,
I am pleased to welcome you to FAO Headquarters for the resumed meeting of the CBD COP16. FAO is your Organization and this is your home.
This is an important continuation of the discussion on biodiversity and agrifood systems.
Our focus on biodiversity and agriculture is based on science. I always ask what is the real meaning of biodiversity for the consumers and the farmers – it is about food diversity.
Biodiversity provides the foundation for food production, providing essential ecosystem services such as soil fertility, pest control, and climate adaptation.
Biodiversity is the backbone of resilient and diverse agrifood systems.
Any collapse in biodiversity brings high costs to people and social economies.
We need to produce more with less: more quantity, with more diversity, with less impact on the environment. Producing more with less – it’s a simple slogan which is already popular in Ministries of Agriculture, and I hope it can also be taken up by Ministries of Environment.
We need science and innovation, enabling policies and investments to minimize impact, and maximize output, ensuring everyone profits.
Continuing land degradation could put some three billion lives at risk, with the poor hardest hit. Biodiversity is also in the soil and in the water, yet we only speak about biodiversity on the surface. We need to discuss biodiversity in the context of all three spaces.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at COP15, provides common ground to work together. Over half of the Framework’s 23 targets are directly related to agriculture.
The Framework promotes integrated land and water management practices that preserve critical habitats and biodiversity, while mitigating climate change effects.
For this reason, we established the Rome Water Dialogue after the UN Water Conference because we need to look at biodiversity from a holistic, three-dimensional perspective.
That is why it is so important to integrate agrifood systems in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, as well as in rural development.
It is critical to get the farmers on board, for them to take ownership and be part of the partnership. Without the farmers, it is only political policy without implementation.
We need to make sure that countries have the necessary support to develop the comprehensive policies needed for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
I have visited Colombia about seven times over the past years and have seen the great potential for biodiversity. For example, the dragon fruit produced there has more colours than just white – this is the result of science and technology; of how science and technology can improve output and livelihoods.
Dear Friends,
At COP16 in Cali, Colombia, FAO together with the CBD Secretariat and the COP16 Presidency, launched the Agri Support Initiative to accelerate the implementation of the Biodiversity Framework.
The initiative provides us with a collective mechanism to help governments build capacity, identify and implement strategic levers across agrifood systems to achieve their national biodiversity targets.
But we also need to increase the availability and affordability of financial services for biodiversity and agrifood systems. We need the political commitment for biodiversity as it is a public good. For example, we need political investment in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are the cradles of biodiversity, but there is no political recognition of this value and the need to invest in these countries.
Including agrifood systems in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans can unlock funding opportunities through international mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and national budgets.
We need an integrated approach across government sectors, across Ministries, to ensure the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – leaving no one behind.
This is the common philosophy we need to produce staple, nutritious, healthy and functional foods – the four levels of foods.
So let us continue to work together for people and the planet.
Thank you.
See https://www.fao.org/director-general/speeches/details/cbd-cop16.2--side-event----meeting-people-s-needs-through-sustainable-use-of-biodiversity-within-agrifood-systems--opening-remarks/en
BULLETIN 2
With Science, We Can: Degraded Lands Transform into Productive Farms in Latur, India
CGIAR February 26 2025
For decades, Latur has struggled with erratic rainfall, groundwater depletion, and soil degradation. Smallholder farmers with fragmented landholdings of just 1–2 hectares found it increasingly difficult to sustain productivity.
Determined to change the situation, a science-led project launched in 2023 by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in partnership with the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA) of Maharashtra and the CGIAR initiative-Sustainable Intensification of Mixed Farming Systems (SI-MFS), addressed these challenges through integrated landscape management and climate-smart farming practices.
Using ICRISAT’s Multidimensional Sustainability Assessment Tool (MSAT), the team conducted comprehensive analyses of the region’s economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Land Resource Inventory (LRI) and hydrological assessments further guided the planning of targeted interventions.
Transformative Interventions
Determined to change the situation, a science-led project launched in 2023 by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in partnership with the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA) of Maharashtra and the CGIAR initiative-Sustainable Intensification of Mixed Farming Systems (SI-MFS), addressed these challenges through integrated landscape management and climate-smart farming practices.
Using ICRISAT’s Multidimensional Sustainability Assessment Tool (MSAT), the team conducted comprehensive analyses of the region’s economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Land Resource Inventory (LRI) and hydrological assessments further guided the planning of targeted interventions.
Transformative Interventions
Key interventions focused on three critical areas: water conservation, land enhancement with crop diversification, and soil health improvement. Rainwater harvesting structures recharged groundwater across 500 hectares, raising water tables by four meters and securing reliable irrigation. Farm ponds provided supplemental irrigation while bunding across 320 acres reduced soil erosion. Advanced monitoring tools, including weather stations and TDR sensors, enabled real-time tracking of water resources.
Farmers diversified their crops, converting 50 hectares of previously fallow land into productive farmland with legumes, millets, and vegetables. Horticulture-linked markets for fruits and flowers improved income stability.
A Model for the Future
Farmers diversified their crops, converting 50 hectares of previously fallow land into productive farmland with legumes, millets, and vegetables. Horticulture-linked markets for fruits and flowers improved income stability.
A Model for the Future
The project’s success lies not only in scientific solutions but also in community ownership. Farmers actively participated in planning and decision-making, fostering long-term commitment.
Looking ahead, the partners aim to scale these interventions across similar agro-ecologies in the Global South. As Matephal’s fields flourish, the village is a testament to the power of collaboration and science in transforming lives and landscapes.
See https://pressroom.icrisat.org/with-science-we-can-degraded-lands-transform-into-productive-farms-in-latur-india
Looking ahead, the partners aim to scale these interventions across similar agro-ecologies in the Global South. As Matephal’s fields flourish, the village is a testament to the power of collaboration and science in transforming lives and landscapes.
See https://pressroom.icrisat.org/with-science-we-can-degraded-lands-transform-into-productive-farms-in-latur-india
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Mapping and functional characterization of the golden fruit 1 (gf1) in melon (Cucumis melo L.)
Shuai Li, Huihui Wang, Yang Li, Feng Jing, Yuanchao Xu, Shijun Deng, Naonao Wang, Zhonghua Zhang & Sen Chai
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; February 26 2025; vol.138; article 59
Shuai Li, Huihui Wang, Yang Li, Feng Jing, Yuanchao Xu, Shijun Deng, Naonao Wang, Zhonghua Zhang & Sen Chai
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; February 26 2025; vol.138; article 59
Key message
A missense mutation that causes premature termination of the CmEGY1 protein leads to golden fruit in melon.
Abstract
Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an economically important fruit crop that has been cultivated for thousands of years. Fruit color, a crucial trait influencing the appearance quality and economic value of melons, is primarily determined mainly by the type and concentration of pigments such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, and flavonoids. Identifying the genetic loci that govern melon fruit color contributes to breeding efforts aimed at enhancing melon rind coloration. This study reports an EMS-induced mutant, designated as gf1 (golden fruit 1), which produces fruit with both golden peel and flesh. Through MutMap and map-based cloning, we localized the gf1 locus to an 862 kb region containing 42 SNPs. Of these, a single SNP in the coding region caused a stop-gained mutation in the gene Cme13C08g017690, which exhibits the highest sequence similarity to Arabidopsis ETHYLENE-DEPENDENT GRAVITROPISM-DEFICIENT AND YELLOW-GREEN 1 (EGY1). Genome editing of CsEGY1, the cucumber homolog, confirmed its role in golden-fruit formation. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed reduced flavonoid and carotenoid contents, accompanied by the downregulation of related biosynthetic genes. The identification and characterization of egy1 provide novel genetic insights and a valuable resource for improving melon appearance through breeding.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-04849-4
