The significance of agrobiodiversity for sustainable diets

Roland Ebel, Carmen Byker Shanks, Georges Félix, José Pablo Morales-Payán

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    Over the past decades, the globalisation of markets and the industrialisation of food systems have monotonised farming globally, which is now dominated by the mono-cropping of a handful of calorie-dense staple crops. In low- and middle-income countries, the erosion of inter- and intraspecific agrobiodiversity has induced a transition to a “Western” diet characterised by ultra-processed food and calorie-dense staples. As a response, several peasant farmer movements have engaged in conserving farm system diversity and related traditional diets. In high-income countries, trends like farm-to-table or “superfoods” aim to restore agrobiodiversity but are limited to niche sectors. We discuss the causes of agroecosystem simplification and their consequences for diets in different parts of the world. We then point to the significance of diversified farming for food security and healthy, accessible, and tasty food.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationRoutledge Handbook of Sustainable Diets
    EditorsKathleen Kevany, Paolo Prosperi
    PublisherRoutledge Taylor & Francis Group
    Chapter6
    Pages58-68
    Number of pages11
    Edition1
    ISBN (Electronic)9781003174417
    ISBN (Print)9781032004860
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 30 Dec 2022

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Economics, Econometrics and Finance(all)
    • Business, Management and Accounting(all)
    • Health Professions(all)
    • Medicine(all)
    • Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
    • Environmental Science(all)
    • Social Sciences(all)

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