GBIF and food

Data from the GBIF network preserves and contributes to various dimensions of knowledge, research and policy in agriculture and food security.

Much of this work focuses on the relationships betweeen domesticated crops and their wild relatives, or crop wild relatives, and how they can shape and inform farming practices in the face of global climate change. The protection of wild species can improve food security and agricultural policy by increasing crop yields and making cultivated species more adaptable and resilient, free from pests and pathogens, and better able to adapt to changes in temperatures or precipitation.

Combining climate, soil, and other data with GBIF-mediated data also helps identify changes in regions suitable for different crops in future, high-risk areas for agricultural pests, possible benefits and risks of biofuel production, and relationships and interactions between pollinators.