Ecosystem Services Delivery 

Agrobiodiversity, pollination, natural forms of pest and disease control

“There is considerable evidence that enhancing agrobiodiversity in farming systems can be a pillar of transformation, giving farmers and communities greater options to deal with crop failure, pests and diseases, declining soil fertility and sustaining dietary diversity (Bioversity International 2017). To manage this tremendous resource, we need to have some means of measuring and appreciating it. In this short course, and in student placements, we will guide students in applying known metrics, including the Agrobiodiversity Index (Bioversity International 2018) and the Pollination Information Management System of the FAO. These methodologies will contribute to a rapid assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services resources in a delimited area that could be conserved and enhanced through landscape-level management, as a starting point for local policy discussions.”

-Barbara Gemmill-Herren and Robin Currey