How Chefs Are Supporting Biodiversity in the Face of Climate Change

“Today’s food system is limiting our global diet to four major crops: corn, rice, soy and potatoes,” Teranga chef and the author of The Fonio Cookbook: An Ancient Grain Rediscovered, Pierre Thiam said. “This limited diet is affecting both our planet and our health. By supporting underutilized crops in my menus, I contribute in saving our planet’s biodiversity. In the current context, designing a menu should be a conscious and responsible act. When choosing ingredients for my dishes, I try to be mindful of the impact on the environment as well as the flavor and nutrition. By offering grains like fonio, that are drought resistant, versatile, nutritious and delicious I check all the boxes.”

By actively championing biodiversity inside and outside the kitchen, chefs can play a key role in creating interest in and a market for more diverse ingredients, helping to support farmers’ livelihoods, improve diets and strengthen our food systems, which is why we’re working to bring 2,020 chefs together by the end of 2020, to be advocates for biodiversity. 

Read the full article on Forbes.