Revitalizing our food systems: Bridging barriers to biodiversity through Plural Values

For decades, the evolution of food systems has been largely driven by an emphasis on efficiency, productivity, and profit. This model has delivered clear benefits, including substantial reductions in global hunger. However, recent crises—including economic shocks, climate impacts, and conflicts—have highlighted vulnerabilities in food systems worldwide. As the need to integrate biodiversity into agriculture becomes ever more urgent, experts argue that a plural-values approach could hold the key to creating sustainable, resilient food systems for future generations.

Biodiversity, the diversity of life at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels, is essential for the resilience and long-term viability of food systems. Katie Minderhout, a researcher at the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, underscored the importance of discussing food systems at COP16. “The Global Biodiversity Framework calls for a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach, recognizing that the change we need must go beyond traditional conservation efforts,” she explained during a panel discussion on bridging biodiversity and food systems at a side event at COP 16 in Cali Colombia. “Food systems are a crucial space where we can implement transformative approaches, guided by plural values that reflect nature’s value not just for profit but for culture, society, and the environment.”

Minderhout’s emphasis on plural values aligns with insights from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which advocates recognizing diverse perspectives on nature. Through plural valuation, decision-makers are urged to consider various values people hold about nature, such as ecological stability, cultural importance, and intrinsic worth, all of which can help create equitable, sustainable outcomes in human-nature relationships.

The complexity of our current food systems
For Cargele Masso, the Director of CGIAR’s Environmental Health and Biodiversity Impact Area Platform, biodiversity is not just about different species but also about human diversity. “Our diets and cultural needs are shaped by our diverse cultures and values. Yet, our current food production systems are dominated by a limited selection of crops and animals that meet market demands,” he stated arguing that this narrow focus on market efficiency has come at the cost of nutritional diversity, traditional medicinal plants, and other culturally significant foods.

Masso pointed to communication gaps as a critical barrier. While crops like rice, maize, and wheat dominate agricultural narratives, “opportunity crops”—underutilized plants with untapped nutritional value—are often overlooked. Masso hopes that tools like the Agrobiodiversity Index and the Periodic Table of Food Systems can bring greater awareness to these valuable, but lesser-known, crops.

Beyond communication, disciplinary silos further hinder efforts to build biodiversity-rich food systems. “As a soil scientist, my focus has often been soil biology, with little attention to livestock or crop diversity,” Masso reflected. These silos, he argued, prevent the holistic knowledge-sharing necessary for sustainable agriculture. To create resilient food systems, Masso emphasized the need to “connect the dots” between different areas of expertise, recognizing that environmental conditions directly influence the quality and sustainability of our food.

Nancy Rapando, the Africa Food Future Leader for the World Wide Fund for Nature noted that they identified actions that African and global leaders can take to ensure food systems are nature-positive at the recent Africa Food Systems Summit. “Our priority is to design food systems that respect the diversity of ecosystems. We must also adopt production methods that stay within planetary boundaries,” Rapando explained.

One powerful way to achieve these goals is through agroecology, a nature-positive practice gaining traction across Africa. “Incentivizing practices like agroecology ensures that food production doesn’t exceed environmental limits,” she said. Another essential step, according to Rapando, is prioritizing land-use planning that allocates space both for agriculture and for biodiversity conservation.

But Africa’s food challenges are not limited to production; but consumption habits also need to change. “Although Africa faces significant hunger, we also see substantial food waste,” Rapando lamented. Reducing the 40% of food lost could ease the pressure to expand agricultural land, preserving natural ecosystems in the process. She called for a broader assessment of agricultural success. “We must go beyond simply measuring yield and start valuing biodiversity. Only by appreciating the full range of ecosystems that support agriculture can we build food systems that truly serve future generations.”

The journey to a truly nature-positive food system will require breaking down barriers, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and building broader public awareness of the vital role biodiversity plays in food security.