http://www.fao.org/fishery/en Presentation on “Assessing agricultural landscapes for sustainable diets: studies on aquatic biodiversity from rice-based ecosystems” for the side-event “Nutrition, Biodiversity and Sustainable Diets” on the 15th April 2013 (13.45-14.45h), hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and The Convention on Biological Diversity, on occasion of the 14th Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. © FAO: http://www.fao.org

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Nutrition, Biodiversity and
Sustainable Diets
co-chaired by
Braulio F. De Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity
Jomo Sundaram, Assistant Director- General, Economic and Social Development
Department, FAO
On occasion of the
14th Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
the Food and Agriculture Organization and The Convention on Biological Diversity
hosted a side-event on the 15th April 2013, 13.45-14.45h, Iran Room, FAO HQ Italy on
Panelists and Presentations:
• Barbara Burlingame, Principal Nutrition Officer, FAO - Key issues in nutrition for the CGRFA
• Bruce Cogill, Senior Nutritionist, Bioversity International - Methods and indicators for sustainable diets
• Matthias Halwart, Senior Aquaculture Officer, FAO – Assessing agricultural landscapes for
sustainable diets: studies on aquatic biodiversity from rice-based ecosystems
• Frank Begemann, Director, Sustainability, International Agricultural Affairs, German Federal
Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) – Biodiversity and nutrition: a perspective from the BLE

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Assessing agricultural
landscapes for sustainable
diets
Studies on aquatic biodiversity and rice
production
Matthias Halwart
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
with
Peter Balzer, Devin Bartley, Barbara Burlingame, Penroong Bamrungrach, Ruth
Charrondiere, Xaypladeth Choulamany, Linda Collette, Hans Guttman, Simon Funge-
Smith, Caroline Garaway, David James, Jiansan Jia, Peter Kenmore, Aidong Luo, Josef
Margraf, Eric Meusch, Weimin Miao, Mulia Nurhasan, Chanthone Phothitay, Jogeir Toppe
and William Settle

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Agricultural landscapes and diets
• Work with partners addressing rice and associated
aquatic biodiversity, its availability and use in SE
Asia (FNPP-I)
• its role for nutrition and diets in the Lao PDR
(FNPP-II)
• continued this year as part of Regional Rice Pilot
Initiative in Lao PDR, Indonesia and the
Philippines
• relevant to: CBD Decision X.34, RAMSAR
Resolution X.31, International Rice Commission ,
CGRFA and SoW AqGR

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Cambodia China Laos Viet Nam Total
Amphibians 2 3 10 -- 11
Crustaceans 6 4 5 3 11
Fishes 70 54 26 14 145
Molluscs 1 5 8 6 15
Reptiles 8 -- 7 -- 13
Plants 13 -- 20 14 37
Total 100 66 74 37 232
Source: Halwart & Bartley (Eds.) 2005
Rice fields – more than just rice!

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Aquatic organisms as food
• Fish is mostly eaten fresh.
• Processing of fish and other aquatic animals
aims at increasing the storability.
• Processing techniques encountered include:
– Drying
– Smoking
– Salting
– Fermenting
– Preserving in
Alcohol

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Assessing agricultural landscapes
for sustainable diets
• To what extent do people rely on
landscapes and nature?
• To what extent do aquatic
organisms from natural
ecosystems versus rice-based
ecosystems contribute to the
overall diet?
• What is the nutritional value of
the aquatic species encountered?

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The household survey
• Monthly survey for
12 months
• 240 households in 48
villages of 3 Provinces
(Champassak, Savanna-
khet and Xieng Khouang)
• Main aim to quantify the
importance of fish and
other aquatic animals
from rice-based
ecosystems for household
consumption.
Source: FAO/LARReC 2007

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= 93%!
Source: FAO/LARReC 2007

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Source: FAO/LARReC 2007

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Fish for a balanced diet and good health
• Source of
– protein
micronutrients that are
not or not adequately
found in rice
– fatty acids
– calcium
– iron
– zinc
– vitamin A

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Vitamin A deficiency
Consequences:
– Eye damage (picture)
– Impaired immunity
– Increased mortality

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Vitamin A content in different fish species
Species Vitamin A (Mean, RAE/100g)
Amblypharyngodon mola 2,680
Rasbora tornieri 1,477
Clupeoides borneensis 250
Channa punctatus 140
Corica soborna 90
Silver carp 30
Source: N. Roos et al., 2002

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Distribution of Vitamin A in Amblypharyngodon mola
53 %
39 %
7 %
1 %
Source: H. Thorseng, 2006

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Enhance production and biodiversity from
agricultural landscapes for better diets?
• Promote better management practices
• Maintain connectivity
• Select nutrient-dense species
• .... all this needs to be done with farmers

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Promote better management
practices

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Promote better management
practices
Source: Prein & Dey 2006

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Maintain connectivity

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Source: H. Thorseng 2006
Zinc and Calcium content
Species: 1.Barbodes altus; 2. Barbodes gonionotus;
3.Puntioplites proctozysron; 4. Channa marulius; 5. Channa
micropeltes; 6. Helostoma temmincki; 7. Trichogaster
microlepis; 8. Parambassis wollfi Osteochilus hasselti; 10.
Dangila sp.; 11. Euryglossa panoides 12. Cyclocheilichthys
apogon; 13. Parachela siamensis; 14. Rasbora tornieri; 15.
Dermogenys pusilla; 16. Esomus longimanus
Species
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
mgZn/kgDM
0
50
100
150
200
250
Error bar: SD, n=3 samples
Species
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
gCa/kgDM
0
20
40
60
80Photo: H. Thorseng 2006

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Thank you!
=>Agricultural rice-based landscapes, their management, connectivity and
species composition are critical for sustainable diets
=> Goals of food security and environmental protection not only
compatible, but synergistic

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References
• FAO/LARReC 2007. Aquatic biodiversity in rice-based ecosystems for Lao PDR.
Technical Paper. FAO – Netherlands Partnership Programme (FNPP) 2006–07
(unpublished).
• Greenland, D.J. 1997. The sustainability of rice farming. CAB International,
Wallingford, UK. 273 p.
• Halwart, M. and D. Bartley (Eds.) 2005. Aquatic biodiversity in rice-based ecosystems.
Studies and reports from Cambodia, China, Lao PDR and Viet Nam [CD-ROM]. Rome,
FAO. Also available at ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/CDrom/AqBiodCD20Jul2005/default.htm
• Prein, M. & M. M Dey 2006 Community-based fish culture in seasonal floodplains. In:
Halwart, M.; Dam, A.A. van (Eds.): Integrated irrigation and aquaculture in West Africa:
concepts, practices and potential, pp. 17-26. Rome, FAO. 181 pp.
• Roos, N., T. Leth, J. Jakobsen, and S.H. Thilsted 2002. High Vitamin A content in some
small indigenous fish species in Bangladesh: perspectives for food-based strategies to
reduce Vitamin A deficiency. Int. J. Food Sci. Nutr. 53: 425-437.
• Thorseng, H. 2006. The role of fish in food and nutrition security in Cambodia.
Presentation at the National Conference on ‘Prioritizing Fisheries for Cambodia’s
National Development and Community Aspiration’, Sihanoukville, Cambodia. 14-15
February 2006

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Acknowledgements/
Photo credits
• Slide 2: FAO/A. Luo (top left & top right); J. Margraf (top middle),
FAO/M. Halwart (bottom left)
• Slide 5: FAO/P. Balzer
• Slide 6: FAO/M. Halwart (top), FAO/A. Luo (bottom)
• Slide 10: FAO/E. Meusch
• Slide 11: H. Thorseng
• Slide 12: M. Prein
• Slide 14: FAO/P. Balzer
• Slide 15: FAO/F. Botts (top left), FAO/Y. Zhou (top right and bottom left),
FAO/M. Halwart (bottom right)
• Slide 16: FAO/M. Halwart
• Slide 17: FAO/M. Halwart (top left and right), M. Prein (bottom left)
• Slide 18: H. Thorseng
• Slide 19: FAO/A. Luo (top left and right), G. Jahn (top middle)