Climate change is endangering the biological diversity that forms the basis of food supplies. But if farmers participated more in the policymaking process, Europeans could feel safer about what they eat.
This is the conclusion of a report by the International Institute for Environment and Development.
Dominant policies promote large corporations over the small-scale variety, which could prevent agriculture from adapting to climate change, the document warns.
The European Commission recently adopted a new strategy to tackle the loss of biodiversity in the next ten years. The strategy will be discussed at the European Parliament and the European Council.
The author of the report, Dr Michel Pimbert, said European legislation “forces farmers to use an increasingly narrow range of seeds and animal breeds”. This is leading to a smaller genetic diversity across various crops.
Therefore he agreed that the only way Europe can give a good response to climate change is by giving farmers “the freedom to choose the seeds they plant and to use them to develop biodiversity-rich farming”.
This would help tackle the “social and environmental crisis caused by industrial agriculture”.
Dr Pimbert added he is concerned that the model could expand to poor countries, leading to “global instability”. Thus he calls on the European Union to review their Common Agricultural Policy, as well as agricultural research programmes and the existing seed regulations in order to safeguard the biological diversity.
He also maintains that knowledge, genetic resources and innovations should remain accessible to all.
Biologist Colin Tudge also criticised the current farming policy, saying it “makes most money in the shortest time” but is not the one that “could continue to feed us”.
Tudge added that the modern food chain, which ends at the supermarket, does not apply the principles of biology, which are a key element “if we truly want to feed ourselves”.
Image courtesy of Chrizz on sv.wikipedia
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