Biodiverse farming systems & food security, Paris, UNESCO
Biosphere Trust, Biodiversity workshop, Paris, Unesco
Farming Systems and Food Security
UNESCO Biosphere Reserves as Learning Sites
An Expert Planning Workshop
UNESCO Fontenoy, Room III, Paris
24-25 March 2011
24 March 2011
1000 – 1100
1. Opening remarks
Natarajan Ishwaran, MAB Secretary, UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences
2. Background and scope of the workshop
Tom Gilbert, International Biosphere Trust
- Introduction of workshop participants
- Questions, clarifications on background and scope of the workshop
1100 – 1130 Coffee/tea
1130 – 1300
1. Farming and food systems: the case of fisheries in Lake Vänern BR, Sweden Johanna MacTaggart, Swedish National MAB coordinator
2. Multifunctionality in Agriculture: results of the IAASTD
Salvatore Arico, UNESCO
3. Bio-Cultural Mosaic Landscapes: Centres of Crop Domestication and Eco-Agricultural Adaptation and Innovation in the MAB Global Network
Pablo Eyzaguirre, Bioversity International
4. Sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity in biosphere reserves: Bioversity-UNESCO- UNEP/GEF Pilot project in Cuba
Guillén Calvo, UNESCO consultant
5. Discussion
1300 – 1430 Lunch
1430 – 1600
1. Biocultural approach to access genetic resources and benefit sharing in BRs Ana Persic, UNESCO
2. Bonds That Last: Integrating conservation, sustainable development and innovative research in the management of coffee forests, Ethiopia
Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
3. Farming Systems and Food Security: BRs as learning sites
Sergio Antonio Guevara Sada, President IberoMAB
4. In-situ and ex-situ conservation of crop genetic resources
Tom Gilbert, International Biosphere Trust on behalf of Mark Dafforn, ‘Lost Crops of Africa’
4. Food mapping and food security – what opportunities in biosphere reserves?
5. Discussion
1600 – 1630 Coffee/tea
1630 – 1800
1. Social Capital Networks – Kevin Jones, Social Capital Markets (SOCAP)
2. Discussion on Day’s presentations
25 March 2011
Discussion on the pilot project:
- Objectives
- Actions and activities
- Outputs, results and impact
- Partners, working modalities and funding options
- Number of Biosphere Reserves for the pilot phase and candidate sites
- Duration of pilot project
- Vision beyond pilot project
Background and Scope
In late 2010, Ms. Johanna MacTaggart, Coordinator of Swedish Biosphere Reserves and the forthcoming EuroMAB Meeting in July 2011 in Lake Vänern Biosphere Reserve, Sweden, discussed opportunities for using biosphere reserves as learning platforms and places for sustainable development at a meeting with Mr. Tom Gilbert, Founder and President of the US Biosphere Reserves Association (renamed in March 2011 as the International Biosphere Trust) and Mr. Kevin Jones, Leader of the Good Capital Team of the SOCAP (Social Capital) Network. Their discussion was in line with the UNESCO General Conference decision 35C/31 that encourages Member States to fully use the potential of MAB and WNBR as learning platforms for sustainable development.
The ensuing discussions between these experts and the MAB Secretariat have indicated interest and readiness to develop a pilot project focusing on farming and food production systems in biosphere reserves with a view to enhancing food security of resident communities. The role of biosphere reserves as experimental areas for testing investment approaches for food security may address: (i) improving food production and farming systems in order to ensure greater equity in the distribution of food and access to knowledge, technology and capital needed for improvements; (ii) diversifying the dependency on food crops so as to prevent the eruption of crises linked to the failure of a single crop either due to man-made or natural causes; and (c) deepening and broadening the knowledge base on wild relatives of actual and potential crops with a view to improving the diversity of crop-dependencies and as a consequence, food security.
The workshop convened a small number of biosphere reserve coordinators, scientists, social entrepreneurs, Member State representatives and MAB Secretariat staff to discuss key elements, means of implementation, expected outputs and a time-table for the implementation of the pilot project. Investor networks such as the SOCAP were invited to share their views and thoughts on the development of the pilot project. Biosphere reserves that could be part of the pilot project were identified and a process for soliciting their participation described.
Potential partner biosphere reserves
- Sierra Gorda BR and World Heritage Site, Mexico
- Lake Vänern BR, Sweden (Fisheries)
- Kafa and Yayu BRs, Ethiopia (traditional coffee landscapes)
- Clayoquot Sound BR, Canada (Food Action Planning Project)
- Southern Appalachian BR, USA
- Frontenac Arch BR, Canada (Local Flavors Project)
- River landscape Elbe BR, Germany (landscape restoration using traditional grassland use)
- Rhone BR, Germany
- Intercontinental BR of the Mediterranean, Morocco/Spain (BR aids agro-diversity)
- Southern Moroccan Oasis BR, Morocco (date palm)
- Boloma Bijagos BR, Guinea Bissau (origin of mangrove rice and oil palm)
- Luki BR, DRC (WWF project on sustainable agriculture and food safety)
- Cuchillas del Toa and Sierra del Rosario BRs, Cuba (Bioversity International/MAB)
- Maya BR, Guatemala (agricultural intensification and conservation in buffer zone)
- Beni and Pilon Lajas BRs, Bolivia (origin of peanut)
- Seaflower BR, Colombia (traditional agricultural methods)
- Sary-Chelek BR, Kyrgyzstan (nuts and apples)
- Tonle Sap BR, Cambodia (sustainable fisheries and rice farming)
- Nokrek BR, India (citrus)
- Chebaling BR, China (indigenous populations and agricultural techniques)
- Bogeda BR, China (black tea)
Farming Systems and Food Security
UNESCO Biosphere Reserves as Learning Sites
An Expert Planning Workshop
Room III, UNESCO HQ, Paris
24-25 March 2011
Workshop participants:
- Tom Gilbert, International Biosphere Trust (vernongilbert@comcast.net)
- Kevin Jones, SOCAP (jones@goodcap.net)
- Johanna MacTaggart, Swedish National Biosphere Reserve Coordinator (johanna.mac-taggart@mariestad.se)
- Tom Hatley, International Biosphere Trust (tomhatley@gmail.com)
- Pablo Eyzaguirre, Bioversity International (p.eyzaguirre@cgiar.org)
- Bettina Hedden-Dunkhorst, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Representative of Kaffa and Yayu BRs, Ethiopia (Bettina.Hedden-Dunkhorst@BfN.de)
- Sergio Antonio Guevara Sada, President IberoMAB, Chair Mexico MAB National Committee (sergio.guevara@inecol.edu.mx)
- Peter Debrine, UNESCO World Heritage Center and UN Foundation (p.debrine@unesco.org)
- Natarajan Ishwaran, MAB Secretary, Director of UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences (n.ishwaran@unesco.org)
- Salvatore Arico, UNESCO EES (s.arico@unesco.org)
- Guillén Calvo, UNESCO SC/EES consultant (gicv.pro@gmail.com)
- Ana Persic, UNESCO EES (a.persic@unesco.org)
- Sarah Gaines, UNESCO EES (s.gaines@unesco.org)
- Malcolm Hadley, UNESCO MAB emeritus (hadley.malcolm@gmail.com)
the tipi project 