Biodiversity and Agriculture

Biodiversity is the immense variety we see in all life on earth. As living things adapt to their environment and evolve over time, more and more variation emerges. Scientists estimate that at least 8.7 million unique species of animals, plants, fungi, and other organisms exist on Earth, along with countless varieties of bacteria.1 Each of these species is adapted to play a special role in its immediate environment, and this variety ensures that ecosystems function properly and remain in balance. In agriculture, biodiversity is also useful for humans: genetic diversity in crops and livestock helps guard our food supply against disease and other threats. Unfortunately, industrial agriculture prioritizes consistency and productivity over biodiversity, and relies on only a few varieties of plants and animals. Treating crops and livestock like parts on an assembly line rather than unique players in a dynamic system threatens both wild species and has serious implications for our own domesticated food supply. Sustainable agriculture embraces biodiversity by minimizing its impact on wild ecosystems and incorporating numerous plant and animal varieties into complex, on-farm ecosystems.

Why Biodiversity Matters

Biodiversity is what makes every environment on earth unique. While we see biodiversity in the breathtaking shapes and colors of the natural world, it starts with genetics. DNA is intrinsic to all living things, and that genetic code evolves over time. Different genes correspond to different traits in the organism. We can see many of these traits with our own eyes, but others are less obvious, like genes for stress and disease resistance. This genetic diversity is vital to ensuring that species can survive the ever-changing conditions their environment presents.

Biodiversity has been important to agriculture since the beginning. Long ago, humans harnessed and steered genetic diversity by domesticating edible plants and animals. Even without understanding genetics, the earliest farmers did this simply by choosing to raise plants that produced large, edible seeds. As these domesticated plants spread across the world, they evolved their own variations. Like their wild counterparts, crops also depend on genetic diversity for traits that help them resist disease and stay productive under stress. Genetic variation within crops also brings us the huge variety of foods we enjoy. Biodiversity within livestock is important for the same reasons, and there are thousands of heritage breeds of pigs, cattle, poultry and other animals that are beautiful, unique and specially adapted to their environments.

Maintaining biodiversity in the wild and in crops has benefits on the farm. Even though they are managed by humans, farms are still ecosystems. The plants, soil, and animals all depend on one another for nutrients and habitat. In a functional agro-ecosystem, healthy soil microbes provide nutrients to plants, the root systems of which hold the soil in place. Plants provide food and habitat to beneficial insects and birds that pollinate them and manage pests. Livestock can recycle leftover parts of crops and provide natural fertilizer to fields and pasture through manure. Agroecosystems depend on diversity to stay in balance, and industrial agriculture disturbs this.

Industrial Agriculture’s Impact on Wild Biodiversity

Agriculture relies on natural processes and living things to create food, but often changes the environment around it. While farms can be managed in ways that minimize their damage to the environment around them, industrial agriculture’s focus on productivity means that too many farms are disruptive to wild species both near and far. When environments are too altered or polluted by industrialized agriculture, vulnerable species may lose their habitats and even go extinct, harming biodiversity.

Agriculture’s Expanding Footprint

Whether it’s growing fruits and vegetables, grains or animals, agriculture takes up space. Prime farmland — land with good soil and water access — is a limited resource. These same areas often support rich wild ecosystems like prairies and forests; converting these areas into farms eliminates much of that wild biodiversity. Unfortunately, agriculture’s continually expanding footprint places these sensitive and important wild areas at risk of destruction. This process of bringing more wild land into agriculture is called extensification.