Doppler, W. et al.: Proceedings International DAAD Alumni Summer School

Systems and holistic approaches are more adequate to reality than partial approaches. 

Integrating the socioeconomic and socio-cultural sectors into family analyses and integrating spatial analyses in rural livelihood concepts allows more realistic impact assessment of future strategies. With increasing biodiversity in farm production risk of production and marketing is reduced, but extreme high and low incomes are also reduced. The higher the level of biodiversity the more comprehensive knowledge of farmers in production, processing and marketing is needed. And the higher the level of biodiversity the higher the level of ecologically integrated systems in many cases. 

In Africa, biodiversity is of central importance in relation to land and water conservation for sustainable farming systems and long-term realization of living standard. 

In the Middle East crop diversification is of less importance than diversification of market produce such as livestock products and high value crop produce due to diversified consumers demand and purchasing power. 

In Central, South and Southeast Asia biodiversity concepts are to be differentiated into plain and mountain zones. Plain areas are direct related to irrigation and intensive production with less focus on production diversity and more on bio-production techniques, while in mountain areas the focus should be on conservation of natural resources and biodiversity leading to sustainable mountain and rural development. 

In Latin America in remote areas to preserve the existing biodiversity is central, while in large scale farming zones the introduction of profitable biodiversity needs to be developed.