Desiring ‘biohappiness’ in India

India’s Biodiversity and its Impact

• India covers 2% of global land area but holds nearly 8% of global biodiversity.

• It is one of 17’megadiverse’ countries and one of eight centres of global food-crop diversity.

• Natural services from India’s forests are valued at over ₹130 trillion a year.

• However, the decline in natural assets reduces India’s GDP and hinders sustainable development.

The Impact of Biodiversity on Global Food Systems

• Global food systems are dominated by rice, wheat, and maize, which provide over 50% of the world’s plant-based calories.

• This concentration and loss of biodiversity cause nutritional imbalances and vulnerability to climate shocks.

• Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity are rising globally.

The Role of Locally Grown Crops

• Traditionally, locally grown crops like small millets, buckwheat, amaranth, jackfruit, yams and tubers, and indigenous legumes are now referred to as opportunity crops.

• These crops are nutritionally dense, climate-resilient, and adapted to local environments.

Crops and Communities

• Orphan crops have always been embedded in local culinary traditions, often linked with cultural identity and ecological knowledge.

• Over three decades, farmers have moved to cultivating cash crops such as cassava, coffee, and pepper, resulting in a decline of agrobiodiversity.

• The M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has been working with agricultural communities to prevent the erosion of millet crop diversity in the region.

India’s Action Plan

• India’s action plan under the UN-declared International Year of Millets and Shree Anna Yojana focused on strategies to enhance production and productivity, consumption, export, strengthening value chains, branding, and creating awareness for health benefits.

The Emergence of an Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Science

• A new biodiversity science is emerging across the globe, focused on how society shapes and responds to changes in biodiversity.

• This interdisciplinary science will help meet the pressing challenges in sustainable use of India’s unique biodiversity.