The Americas region, which comprises 36 independent countries and territories, harbours a diversity of climates and topography: sub-polar climates in the south and in the mountains, temperate and sub-tropical areas, deserts, savannas and tropical forests. High elevations within the tropical zone creates a broad range of climatic and ecogeographic conditions. This has given the region a wealth of biological, agricultural and cultural diversity.

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Native agricultural biodiversity
Regional agriculture connected to the world
Fighting genetic erosion

Native agricultural biodiversity
Following Columbus’ arrival, the hemisphere’s agricultural biodiversity made important contributions to the world’s diet and its food supply. The prehistoric Mesoamerican and Andean civilizations domesticated crops of global importance, including maize, potato, sweet potato, tomato, cotton, cassava, tobacco, beans, squashes, vanilla, cacao, peanut and peppers, among others. 

A number of other species, currently under-exploited have also been domesticated in the Americas. In the Andes, grains, such as quinoa as well as a tremendous variety of roots and tubers crops are still central to the livelihoods of many farming communities. In lower lying areas, farmers are cultivating many kinds of tropical fruits; papaya, cherimoya, sweet granadilla, babaco, sapodilla to name just a few. Research into the nutritional and agronomic qualities of these crops is helping farmers and consumers rediscover and appreciate the importance of the region’s agricultural biodiversity.

Bioversity and other CGIAR agricultural research centres are at the forefront of this research. Of particular importance to the Americas is the work being done by the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Lima, Peru, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico City and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia. All of these Centres hold important collections of plant genetic resources from the Americas.

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Regional agriculture connected to the world
Despite the richness of native crop diversity, much agriculture in the Americas, particularly income-generating and foreign exchange-earning activities depend on crops introduced from other parts of the world.  Sugarcane, banana, rice, soybean, coffee, wheat, citrus, table grapes, deciduous fruits, mango and asparagus are of great economic importance in various countries in the region.

But also subsistence agriculturalists have also benefited from the introduction of temperate European species, such as faba beans and barley, which have become important elements in Andean diets and peasant economies. This continued interdependence between the Americas and the rest of the world is not always appreciated in the public debate on ownership and access legislation issues of plant genetic resources.

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Fighting genetic erosion
In recent years, migration to urban areas, colonization and degradation of natural ecosystems and modern agricultural practices have provoked the genetic erosion of native crop varieties and their wild relatives. Nevertheless, native crop genetic diversity and useful wild species continue to be maintained in situ by indigenous and traditional farmers, particularly in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru. One of the challenges faced by agricultural science today is to curb the genetic erosion of this diversity, ensure its effective conservation and enhance its utility for the well-being of local populations.

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