At A Glance

The Response

The project aims to empower farmer groups to develop community agro-biodiversity profiles and action plans for the conservation of those species that are important for their community livelihood, but are declining. The groups will be trained in agro-ecosystem analysis and farmer field research as basic agro-biodiversity management tools. After the training, the groups are expected to continue as local alumni and district-level associations, supported by agricultural service institutions and an enabling policy environment.

Project Focus

Ø  Development of a replicable model for community-based agro-biodiversity management and testing of the model’s robustness in six ecologically diverse sites in Yunnan, Sichuan and Xinjiang ；
Ø  Training of 640 community groups (about 15,000 households) to sustainably manage their agricultural biodiversity and conserve important and threatened species；
Ø  Conservation of ecological functions of natural pest suppression, pollination and nutrient recycling；
Ø  Reduction in the use of toxic chemicals and destructive agricultural practices；
Ø  Strengthening of support services for community agro-biodiversity management associations；
Ø  Policy development through credible impact assessment results；

Cooperating Agency

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Partners

1. Ministry of Agriculture
2. Departments of Agriculture in Yunnan
3. Departments of Agriculture in Sichuan
4. Departments of Agriculture in Xinjiang

The Challenge

China contains many important ecosystems, but probably the most valued one is the 15% arable land with its rich biological diversity of genes, crops, and livestock. The biodiversity represented in China’s diverse agricultures, ecosystems, including genetic diversity of crops, livestock associated species and landscapes support the livelihoods of 1.3 billion Chinese. Over centuries, these biodiversity resources have been managed by millions of farmers and pastoralists, but increasing population and land migrating practices have resulted in a rapid erosion of biodiversity, threatening food security, ecosystem stability and the future well-being of the Chinese population, particularly the rural poor.