This presentation was given on 8 September 2012 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea, during a session co-hosted by CIFOR titled ‘Managing wild species and systems for food security’.

1. Food Sovereignty for Food Security
How protecting traditional knowledge and agro‐biodiversity can be part of the
solution
Workshop “Managing wild species and systems for food security”
Co‐organized by Bioversity International and CIFOR
IUCN World Conservation Congress
Jeju (Korea), 6‐15 September 2012
Cristina Eghenter
Deputy Director for Social Development
WWF‐Indonesia

2. • The physical limits of agriculture (land, productivity,
intensification, etc)?
• Low investment and innovation
• The supply vs demand argument: Food scarcity?
• Whose demand for food?
• The distributional and equity dimensions of food security

3. Ecosystem and biodiversity conservation & food security:
The Risks
•More land clearing
•Loss of biodiversity can also mean loss of food and cultural/spiritual
system
•Loss of traditional knowledge and practices associated with small
agroforestry and agricultural regimes
•Increased disempowerment and creation of poverty

4. Food security is not only a matter of quantity of food, but also of
the diversity and quality of food, and related cultivars, equally at
the basis of a sustainable and meaningful food&livelihood system
It is the local enrichment and active experiments and practices of
local & Indigenous people (men and women) that have often
shaped the variety of cultivars and diversity of food plants of our
planet
Food sovereignity as a way to recognize rights and diversity, and
establish fair protection claims over the genetic resources that
make up agro‐biodiversity

5. • High biodiversity is a salient feature of traditional farming systems
• ‘Local’ feature of traditional farming systems: agrobiodiversity
nurtured in very specific environments and micro‐climates, influenced
by cultural traditions and strong preferences
• The results of surveys conducted by local people in the Highlands of
Krayan, Kecamatan Krayan Selatan, Kabupaten Nunukan (2005): over
(20) local varieties of durian “datu” fruit or varieties with enough
phenotypical and sensorial distinct characteristics to warrant a
different name in the local language
• Over (40) varieties of rice are planted in any planting season between
the Bahau and Pujungan sub‐districts in Malinau. In Krayan Selatan,
(22) varieties of paddy rice were cultivated in the six settlements of the
sub‐district of Krayan Selatan in 2007 and (4) hill rice varieties.
• A study of two communities in Sarawak (Christiansen 2002) found that
local people have knowledge of over 1,144 species, representing more
than 172 botanical families. Around 20% of the species known and used
are cultivated, semi‐managed or domesticated. Around 50% of these
species have multiple uses. The most important of these uses is food.

6. • The ‘diversity’ and ‘locality’ of cultivars and genetic resources is a
way to build resilience, adaptability and reduce vulnerability by
maintaining diverse and adaptive plants that can cope with
climate and environmental crises.
• The varieties also need to be recognized, and origin
and names maintained, as part of a fair food
sovereignty program.

7. • Is conservation and sovereignty of agro‐biodiversity and
local cultivars the solution to food security? Not by itself,
but it is an important dimension to consider and integrate
in policies to ensure long‐term security and sustainability in
conservation landscapes.
• Food security will also require technological and financial
investment in sustainable farming practices, more
innovation, tenure security, and overall good governance
of the land and other natural resources.
• Some important policies will also need to be followed up
and implemented: Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
protocol (and Community Protocols to protect customary
practices and knowledge); thw institution of the office for
food security of the Ministry of Agriculture which has an
explict mandate to identify and develop local food
plants/crops integrated and in line with traditional
knowledge as a basis for diversification of staple food.

8. WWF Indonesia plans to engage in more :field action and advocacy in
support of agro‐biodiversity and recognition of related traditional
knowledge
•Focus on small farms are as a significant share of agricultural production
•Promote environment‐friendly methods and investment
•Documentation and protection of bio‐cultural knowledge systems related
to plants and crops (community potocols; registry and banks of traditional
seeds)
•Management of competing claims over land use to avoid land grabbing for
biofuels and cattle feed
•Promote good governance of natural capital by involving the relevant
stakeholders and right‐holders, and based on meaningful collaboration and
fair partnerships
•In landscapes and regions where traditional management practices,
customary land use, local wisdom and rich biodiversity are linked in strong
and adaptive systems, these need to be maintained so that they can serve as
a basis for sustainable and resilient green economies.

9. Thank You
Photos ©: Darius, Frans, Robertson, WWF Indonesia