WHAT
Agroecology and The Global Biodiversity Framework
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15), held in December 2022, signified concerted action to address the ongoing biodiversity crisis and its significant consequences for the planet.
Parties adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), a comprehensive package of goals and targets aimed at reducing biodiversity loss, transforming societal relationships with nature, and supporting the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature.
To meet the objectives of the GBF, parties committed to revising their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to align with the 23 targets of the GBF. As such, NBSAPs serve as the principal strategic planning document for outlining national biodiversity conservation objectives and the actions necessary to achieve them.
What is an NBSAP?
An NBSAP is the primary instrument for achieving implementation of the CBD. Parties to the CBD are obliged to develop an NBSAP to reflect a country’s ambition and related plans to achieve the objectives of the CBD at the national level. The primary objective of an NBSAP is to integrate consideration of the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources into national decision-making, and mainstream issues across all sectors of the national economy and policy-making framework.
In 2022, Parties to the CBD committed to revise their NBSAPs to align with the GBF. For more information on NBSAPs, see CBD’s website and Article 6 of the Convention.
Agroecology Principles and the Global Biodiversity Framework
The GBF takes a systems and whole-of-government approach that emphasizes the societal dimensions of biodiversity action and human rights, and is highly synergistic with agroecology.
Source: Biovision Foundation, et al., Boost NBSAPs through Agroecology.
Food systems are broadly related to the GBF as well as its component targets, playing a role in its three target clusters:
1. Reducing threats to biodiversity (Targets 1–8),
2. Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing (Targets 9–13), and
3. Tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming (Targets 14–22).
Visit HOW to better understand how agroecology interventions support each of these sections.
Target 10 and Agroecology
Parties to CBD COP15 directly recognized the importance of food systems in standalone GBF Target 10:
Ensure that areas under agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry are managed sustainably, in particular through the sustainable use of biodiversity, including through a substantial increase of the application of biodiversity-friendly practices, such as sustainable intensification, agroecological, and other innovative approaches contributing to the resilience and long-term efficiency and productivity of these production systems and to food security, conserving and restoring biodiversity and maintaining nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services.
Achieving GBF Target 10 will contribute to the resilience and long-term efficiency and productivity of food production systems, and to food security, as well as conserving and restoring biodiversity and maintaining nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services.
For more information and resources see Chapter 2
Key Components of NBSAP Development
These activities, which can be approached iteratively, are important for identifying specific actions, defining stakeholder roles, and fostering cross-sectoral collaborations necessary for effective target-setting and implementation that can ultimately make our food systems work for biodiversity and people.
Defining the Mission and Vision of an NBSAP
To incorporate Agroecology, the mission and vision statements of an NBSAP should:
- Articulate a future where food systems are major contributors to/enablers of the conservation, restoration, and enhancement of biodiversity;
- Champion a transition to sustainable, resilient, healthy, and equitable food systems;
- Identify biodiversity actions that deliver on multiple targets of the GBF, and aim to improve livelihoods and well-being of actors involved in food systems;
- Recognize the importance of agroecology in delivering on multiple GBF targets and addressing current and future challenges in nutrition, health, economic stability, climate mitigation and adaptation, and environmental sustainability.
Consider the following:
VISION
Articulate a long-term and holistic vision for the relationship between food systems and biodiversity that aligns with other national development plans and international commitments.
MISSION
Create a comprehensive and transformational mission statement that envisions biodiversity flourishing across all regions and ecosystems and that emphasizes the urgent need for transformative approaches like agroecology.
PATHWAYS
Outline pathways for an agroecological transition that integrates its 13 Principles, moving away from sectoral frameworks to multisectoral and multidimensional ones.
APPROACHES
Define multidimensional approaches, such as agroecology, that deliver on multiple objectives and commitments at the national level.
PROCESSES
Invest in locally contextualized solutions that elevate and champion social processes that enhance sustainability and resilience in food systems, particularly those that recognize, value, and support Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices.
LIVELIHOODS
Advocate for dignified and resilient livelihoods for all actors in the food system, recognizing and supporting the needs and interests of the most vulnerable and marginalized food actors, while improving access to diverse, healthy, and sustainable diets.
Assessing Biodiversity Status, Trends, Threats, and Contributions for an NBSAP
Assessments of the current state of food systems and biodiversity action must be holistic, recognizing both direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss and the interrelationships of food systems with these drivers. The assessment should identify root causes, pressures, and threats while also highlighting multifunctional co-benefits of agroecology.
CAUSES & DRIVERS
Identify the root causes, structural drivers, pressures, and threats perpetuating ecosystem destruction and degradation, providing information on how the food system impacts biodiversity at different levels.
AGROECOSYSTEMS
Include agroecosystems, and not just natural ecosystems, in assessments related to GBF targets on spatial planning, restoration, and conservation.
TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS
Map Indigenous and traditional food systems and agrobiodiversity including existing knowledge and holistic governance structures, current practices, seed and crop diversity, livestock diversity, nutritional potential.
CONSUMPTION
Evaluate how consumption patterns and diets can drive deforestation and habitat loss due to intensive or monoculture crop farming and agrochemical use. Identify how these same trends impact public health.
GOVERNANCE
Map and coordinate the responsibilities of ministries and sectors to identify areas for collaboration and joint input, reflecting on the evolution of the approach to food systems in previous NBSAPs.
LEGISLATION
Summarize current policies, legislations, measures, and actions at national and subnational levels, as well as institutional barriers related to implementing the GBF with an agroecological approach.
PARTICIPATION
Evaluate the level of inclusivity, participation, and protection of the rights of food system actors in relation to biodiversity governance, in particular those actors in vulnerable conditions such as Indigenous Peoples and women in rural communities.
SCALE
Assess priority areas for scaling up agroecology within a national context, for example, the organic input sector, agroecological markets, financial investment in agroecology, and institutional and research structures and funding.
Designing the Process and Methodology for Formulating and Updating an NBSAP
The participation of various stakeholders — including agroecology actors, rights holders, suppliers, producers, consumers, financial institutions, and other relevant parties — is essential to developing an NBSAP, and a comprehensive agroecological approach at the national level. This process follows the principle of co-creation and the transdisciplinary approach of agroecology.
ENGAGEMENT
Build up awareness, engagement, and inclusive collaboration, focusing on understanding agroecology, and engaging key actors across all relevant sectors in consultations, dialogues, and drafting and identification of priorities.
PARTICIPATION
Identify appropriate entry points for food system actors who have yet to engage in biodiversity action, and consult national and/or subnational participatory platforms such as multistakeholder platforms or communities of practice.
CO-CREATION
Emphasize co-creation, a core principle of agroecology, throughout the NBSAP development process. Apply this principle to co-design NBSAP development processes, such as identifying national targets.
COHERENCE
Connect and exchange with relevant focal points in other ministries to foster inter-ministerial collaboration. Identify existing frameworks such as national agroecology strategies and food systems pathways (or equivalent), and co-design a process to integrate them with NBSAP actions.
IMPLEMENTATION
Discuss not only the drafting of actions to be included in an NBSAP but also the means of implementation. Consider institutional arrangements, responsible sectors, concrete milestones, and timelines that align with agroecological principles and prioritize local and community-based solutions.
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