Plant Biodiversity: A Key to Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Adaptation

Plant biodiversity contributes to the efficacy, stability, and resilience of agricultural land systems, especially in addressing climate change breakdown. This chapter conveys how diverse plant communities are obligatory for the equipping of ecosystems, such as nutrient cycling, soil carbon storage, pollination, natural pest and disease control. It shows how simplified, high-input farming systems have a greater vulnerability to environmental stresses. Combining above- and below-ground processes, this chapter demonstrates how plant–soil–microbe interactions build agroecosystem resilience and form the basis of agroecological intensification. The importance of favorable policies and participation by farmers is stressed in this report along with practical diversification strategies, i.e., agroforestry, intercropping, rotations, and cover cropping. In sum, it shows how to manage plant biodiversity in improving the climate resilience of agriculture and ensuring long-term food security in a practical and low-cost way.