Crop diversity, at both the genetic and species level, is beneficial to the environment in a number of ways. Firstly, it can reduce the environmental impacts associated with some forms of intensive farming, which often relies on the extensive application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. By growing different crops, for example in alley cropping or rotations, and multiple varieties, farmers can reduce the need for such inputs, leading to a reduction in soil and water pollution, as well as climate change mitigation. In addition, a diverse range of crops can improve soil health by preventing soil erosion, maintaining soil nutrients, and promoting beneficial soil microorganisms. Growing a diversity of species on farms can also contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, providing habitat and food for a range of pollinators, beneficial insects, and other wildlife. These benefits can also be attributed to animal breed diversity.<\/p>\n
Diverse crops and livestock are the foundation for more productive, resilient and adaptable farming systems that are better able to cope with the challenges posed by climate change, pest and disease attacks, as well as fluctuating market demands, whilst reducing the need for agricultural expansion into wild ecosystems.<\/p>\n
For the greatest impact on climate resilience, not only should a diversity of different crop varieties and animal breeds be managed, but these should also be well adapted to the landscape, and endogenous species\/varieties where possible. This indicator was added in August 2023.<\/p>\n","methodology":"
It should be straightforward to measure this indicator at the project level, as the number of species managed on the landholding is information which the farm or land manager should know from their cropping plans. Data should be compiled on a yearly basis, so as to reflect temporal variation and crop rotation, as well as change in livestock.<\/p>\n
Data from projects can be compiled at a portfolio level \u2013 but only by cross referencing which species, breeds and varieties are growing where, not by simply adding up the figures for each project as this would lead to double counting. This data should be compared to a baseline from before the project intervention.<\/p>\n
It may also be helpful to collect data specifically on the number of native species grown, and the number of climate resilient crops.<\/p>\n
We thank the Global Crop Diversity Trust for their assistance in shaping this indicator. <\/em><\/p>\n","communication":" This indicator is a proxy of climate resilience, and also looks at domesticated biodiversity across the portfolio. It cannot directly be used to communicate climate adaptation entirely, or resilience to future climate stresses, but is a helpful indication of steps taken to broaden genetic and species diversity on cultivated land which is likely to strengthen resilience to climate change induced stresses. It should be used in support of other climate indicators.<\/p>\n As discussed above, care should be taken when aggregating this indicator across a portfolio to ensure that species and varieties are not double counted. It cannot simply be summed across all project sites, but instead a master species list should be compiled from all projects and counted. Users may find it useful to split this indicator out to look at crop diversity and animal\/livestock diversity independently.<\/p>\n","considerations":[{"text":"Useful for projects looking to invest in farms or cultivated forestry systems, where cultivated biodiversity can be increased."},{"text":"Cultivated biodiversity should not come at the expense of natural ecosystems, but steps taken to broaden the diversity of existing cropping systems are beneficial."},{"text":"Technical assistance may be helpful to aid project managers to broaden the range of crops which they are comfortable in cultivating."}],"resources":[{"link_text":"Crop Trust, 2022. \u2018The Climate Crisis and What Crop Diversity Has to Do With It\u2019 ","link_url":"https:\/\/www.croptrust.org\/fileadmin\/uploads\/croptrust\/Documents\/Handouts\/CropTrust_Flyer_ClimateCrisis.pdf"},{"link_text":"Brenda B. Lin, Resilience in Agriculture through Crop Diversification: Adaptive Management for Environmental Change, BioScience, Volume 61, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 183\u2013193, ","link_url":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1525\/bio.2011.61.3.4"},{"link_text":"Hoban et al., (2021). Global Commitments to Conserving and Monitoring Genetic Diversity Are Now Necessary and Feasible. BioScience. 71. 1-13. ","link_url":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/bioscience\/article\/71\/9\/964\/6278470"}],"links_to_other_impact_area_kpis":" Climate Action \u2013 CMA 03, CMA 04<\/p>\n Sustainable Production – PRO 01, PRO 02, PRO 04, PRO 05, PRO 06<\/p>\n Livelihood and Gender \u2013 LG 01, LG 03<\/p>\n","case_studies":" N\/A<\/p>\n","requirements":{"spatial_data":false,"project_specific_criteria":true,"on_the_ground_verification":false},"download":"https:\/\/kpi-directory.shared-api-01.production.linode.unep-wcmc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/V2-CMA-06-Adaptation-Number-of-different-crop-varieties-and-animal-breeds-managed.pdf"},"yoast_head":"\n