AERU AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH UNIT
 

2020-2025: FRAMEwork: Farmers clusters for realising agrobiodiversity management across ecosystems (Ref. SFS-01-2018-2019-2020)

Agricultural biodiversity is understood to comprise all components of biological diversity that (i) are of relevance for food and agriculture and all components of biological diversity that (ii) constitute agro-ecosystems. It is the result of highly dynamic interactions between the environment, genetic resources, agricultural practices and historical land management. The various dimensions of agricultural biodiversity play a significant role in conferring stability, resilience and adaptability to farming systems.

The way farmers manage their land has immediate effects on domesticated and native biodiversity. Specialised, intensive agriculture has generally resulted in higher productivity at the expense of decreasing levels of biodiversity, partly due to a lack of incentives for farmers to safeguard biodiversity. This H2020 research topic includes activities to tackle biodiversity decline from various angles ranging from its supporting functions in agro-ecosystems (e.g. through activities of plant and soil biota), the integration of diversity into farming practices and incentives for wider biodiversity management including native biodiversity.

The overarching goal of FRAMEwork is to develop and promote biodiversity-sensitive farming to conserve native biodiversity, support ecosystem service provision and maintain reliable agricultural output, thereby contributing to the growth of sustainable and climate-smart agriculture in Europe. FRAMEwork responds to the urgent need to rebalance agricultural systems in a way that recognises and capitalises on the value of native biodiversity in the context of major global challenges of biodiversity loss (ca 60% since 1970), declining food security, and climate change.

Contact

Dr. Doug Warner

Links

University of Hertfordshire
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University of Hertfordshire, 2023.