Liesje Mommer

We talk to Liesje Mommer, Professor of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Netherlands

When did you join FACCE-JPI SAB?

At the beginning of 2022. I have not yet had the chance to participate in a meeting. I am looking forward to the one in October.

What is your area of expertise?

I am a professor in plant ecology and have mainly worked below ground aspects of plant ecology. I am working on developing a mechanistic understanding of root-root contacts and the role of soil microbes, mainly focused on fungi. By working on this topic in biodiversity experiments in natural grassland systems, I have learned that diverse plant communities perform better than in monocultures. Diverse communities produce more primary biomass, sequester more carbon in the soil, are more resilient to climate extremes and are more resistant to pathogens.

With this scientific background, I read the IPBES report that came out in 2019. I became so alarmed by the message that biodiversity loss is so enormous and still accelerating, that I wanted to do something to reverse the trend of biodiversity loss. This was what made me start up the Wageningen Biodiversity Initiative (WBI). I now lead a diverse network of transdisciplinary researchers working together to develop new knowledge for building a nature-inclusive society and improve the education curriculum for our students on this topic.

Cocreation with stakeholders is central in the WBI approach, as I believe that ‘together we are better’. Just like plants. Through the activities of the WBI, we aim to initiate the knowledge-based solutions that bring about transformative change towards a nature-inclusive society.

What is your vision for sustainable food systems?

I am concerned that the current unprecedented biodiversity loss is undermining the ecosystem services that are essential for quality of life, and the food system in particular. Repeated warnings from renowned global scientific panels about the negative effects of biodiversity loss on food security call for a reconsideration of the role of biodiversity in the food system. How can we work with nature rather than against it in the food system?

I see three priority actions:

The first is to broaden the scarily narrow base of the food system. Of the ~6 000 plant species that could be cultivated as food, only a handful (e.g. 9 crops) determines 66% of our diet. The production of these nine crop species takes up more than 90% of the global agricultural area. In addition, populations of wild relatives of crops and domesticated livestock, representing critical reservoirs of genes and traits that may boost resilience against future climate change, pests and pathogens are in decline, thus limiting the options for biodiversity as a safety net in the future. When developing our future food systems this base of our food system – the genotypes and species of crops and livestock that we produce and eat – must urgently be widened.

The second priority action relates to developing innovative production systems that are intrinsically more resilient to climate change, pests and diseases. Incorporating agroecological principles on the field – strip cropping, cover cropping, and reduced tillage – may enhance biodiversity and thus resilience on and surrounding the fields, reducing the need for the use of management practices that are harmful to the environment. How can we embed agroecological principles in food production effectively? What technological innovations are required to help the farmers to adopt to nature-positive farming approaches?

The third action relates to the steps of transformation in society. How to transition toward a nature-positive food system? How to engage all stakeholders along the food chain – farmers, but certainly also the food industry, retailers, financial institutions, shareholders and governments. All players need to act in a concerted way. Its success is essential for the resilience of our food systems, food security and healthy diets for the human population in the future, and also for improving local livelihoods. Sustainable and equitable implementation of biodiversity in the food system requires a systems approach, as the goals of food security, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and human wellbeing are intrinsically linked.