ABSTRACT
Biodiversity-based solutions are being heralded by the international research community and by global conventions as a path out of the calamitous situation the planet is facing, both in terms of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, but also with regard to environmental health including climate change. The chapter describes the rising role of food biodiversity in creating a food system transformation that delivers healthier and more diversified diets while protecting the environment and improving livelihoods. Such a transformation is based on reliable scientific evidence accompanied by traditional knowledge and practices safeguarded by indigenous peoples and local communities. It also relies on the concerted political will to safeguard and sustainably use this diversity along with increased investments in some of the practical biodiversity-based solutions presented in the book.
