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SC Farm Bureau Women Call Attention to Agriculture on Oct. 15
and 16 The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW), an organization the Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is a member of, sponsors World Rural Women’s Day (Oct. 15). The theme this year dittos the theme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s World Food Day on Oct. 16, “Biodiversity for Food Security.” Each group wants to highlight biodiversity's role in ensuring people around the world have sustainable access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives. Biological diversity is fundamental to agriculture and food production. People rely on the variety of food, shelter, and goods for their livelihood. Yet, humans put increasing pressure on species and their environments. As a result, many plants and animals are at risk, as well as essential natural processes such as pollination by insects and the regeneration of soils by micro-organisms. More than 840 million people remain hungry around the world and still more suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Global efforts have so far been insufficient to reach the World Food Summit and related Millennium Development goal of reducing the number of hungry by half by 2015. Biodiversity is a key ally in fighting malnutrition. SCFB Women’s Committee Chair (who is also on the American Farm Bureau Women’s Committee) Frances Price of Gilbert, SC said, “The protection of biodiversity is something we cannot afford to forget about. Sound science and proven technology are in place to increase yields, reduce the use of chemicals on the farm, and provide more nutrients in the foods that are produced.” SCFB President and Sumter County (SC) farmer David Winkles agrees, “To feed a growing population, agriculture must provide more food. It is essential to increase the resilience of agriculture, especially in extreme environments. By protecting a wide array of life forms with unique traits, such as plants that survive drought or livestock that reproduce in harsh conditions more people can be fed by agricultural products that are grown closer to home. Sustainable agricultural practices can feed people as well as protect oceans, forests, prairies and other ecosystems that harbor biological diversity.” A rich variety of cultivated plants and domesticated animals are the foundation for agricultural biodiversity. Yet studies show that people depend on just 14 mammal and bird species for 90 percent of their food supply from animals. Just four species - wheat, maize, rice, and potato - provide half of our energy. More than 40 percent of the land's surface is used for agriculture, placing a large responsibility on farmers to protect biodiversity. By using appropriate techniques like no-till agriculture, reduced use of pesticide, organic agriculture, and crop rotation, farmers maintain the fragile balance with the surrounding ecosystems. With plants, animals and their environments intact, a range of essential natural processes is preserved. Livestock, insects, fungi and micro-organisms decompose organic matter, transferring nutrients to the soil. Bees, butterflies, birds and bats pollinate fruit trees. Swamps and marshes filter out pollutants. Forests prevent flooding and reduce erosion. Natural predators keep the growth of any one species in check. Rather than a single crop variety that guarantees a high yield, farmers in developing countries need an assortment of crops that grow well in harsh climates or animals with resistance to disease. For the poorest farmers, the diversity of life may be their best protection against starvation. Consumers also benefit from diversity through a wide choice of plants and animals. This contributes to a nutritious diet, particularly important for rural communities with limited access to markets. It is a mission of the SCFB Women’s Committee to help educate consumers about agriculture as they work to tell the “farm story.”
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