Africa Regional Synthesis for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture

Abstract

This report summarizes the state of biodiversity for food and agriculture in Africa based on information provided in country reports submitted to FAO as part of the reporting process for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture. The Africa region has a diverse range of production systems, varying from small and mostly mixed systems to large-scale industrial systems. In African smallholder agricultural landscapes, home gardens constitute a particularly important source of biodiversity for food and agriculture and their contribution to plant species richness and diversity is increasingly gaining interest among researchers. Naturally regenerated forests also represent an important repository of biodiversity for food and agriculture. The report indicates that currently many countries have no policies in place that explicitly address the management of biodiversity for food and agriculture and that associated biodiversity and wild foods tend to be neglected. A number of countries, however, mention more broadly focused instruments, such as national biodiversity strategies and action plans. The report concludes that multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder consultations in the development of relevant policy and legal instruments need to be strengthened.