Agrobiodiversity is the broad and vast subject that is vital for humanity’s capacity to meet sustainability challenges. This goal needs the rigorous integration of plant, environmental, social and health sciences. The annual Report of FAO(1999) defined  agro-biodiversity as the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture that includes crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. It comprises the diversity of genetic resources (varieties, breeds) and species used for food, fodder, fibre, fuel and pharmaceuticals. It also includes the varieties  of non-harvested species that support production (soil micro-organisms, predators, pollinators), and those in the wider environment that support agro-ecosystems (agricultural, pastoral, forest and aquatic) as well as the diversity of the agro-ecosystems.

 By the end of 2050, the world population is estimated to reach over 9 billion. In a world where more than 900 million (some 16 % of the world population) are already malnourished, this alarming growth presents a major challenge to achieving food and nutrition security. The needs of this increasing population growth, overcoming shortfalls in food production and ensuring that available produce reaches people in need are major challenges to global agriculture (FAO 2010 ). These challenges must be addressed in ways that are sustainable and ensure the availability of resources  for sustainable agriculture. Similarly at the same time, agriculture needs to address the effects of climate change, increasing competition for water, loss of productive land and competition for available land, continued migration from rural to urban areas and the growing social concerns about the nature of the food production system. The focus of agricultural improvement on achieving caloric sufficiency has left many hundreds of millions of people still suffering from deficiencies in essential vitamins and micronutrients in their diet (FAO 2010). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has reported  that in 1990 the global loss of productivity through hunger and malnutrition was 46 million person years (FAO 2001). The World Health Organization (WHO 2008) also estimates that over 1.62 billion people of whom 600 million are children suffer from anaemia, caused in over half of the cases by deficiencies in essential minerals and micronutrients.

 

Dimensions of Agrobiodiversity

There are four dimensions of agrobiodiversity. They are:

Ø  -Genetic resources for food and agriculture

Ø  -Components of biodiversity that support the ecosystem services

Ø  -Abiotic Factors and Socio Economic, cultural Dimension

 

Importance of Agrobiodiversity

 

Ø  Huge role to Ensure the production of Goods such as (food, fibre, fuel, fodder, medicine)

 

Ø  Helps to Maintain other ecosystem services

 

Ø  Allow adaptation to changing climate condition 

 

Ø  Sustain rural peoples' livelihoods

 

 

 

Role of Agro Biodiversity

 

Ø  Help to  Increase productivity, food security, and economic returns

 

·     Make farming systems more stable, robust, and sustainable

 

·      Contribute to sound pest and disease management

 

·      Conserve soil and increase natural soil fertility and health

 

·      Contribute to sustainable intensification

 

·      Diversify products and income opportunities

 

·      Help maximize effective use of resources and the environment

 

·      Reduce dependency on external inputs

 

·      Improve human nutrition and provide sources of medicines and vitamins, and

 

·      Conserve ecosystem structure and stability of species diversity

 

 

Hence Biodiversity contribute huge role in the food security and the conservation of ecosystem.