Agricultural biodiversity (or agro-biodiversity) includes all the animal, plant and micro-organism species that sustain agricultural ecosystems, and the variety between and within them, and is essential to food and nutrition security.

There is increasing recognition that agriculture is a key driver of biodiversity loss. Expansion of agricultural production to new land drives deforestation, which in turn results in loss of natural habitats and the species these host. Overexploitation of land resources, including through the overuse of agro-chemicals, leads to degradation of land and water bodies, and consequently to the loss of precious biodiversity resources such as beneficial insects – including pollinators – that help sustaining agroecosystems and agricultural production.