SIF 2022 Interview with Fanette Fontaine

My name is Fannette Fontaine I am a microbiologist and a member of the Microbiome Working Group at AFAO The microbiome or microbiomes refers to the collection of microorganisms and their functions within a given ecosystem This form of biodiversity plays a major role in the health of humans animals plants and the environment Research on the microbiome represents a real potential to support the transformation of food systems By offering new knowledge and innovations that can help preserve restore or optimize the microbiome in various ecosystems And in this way it would be possible to improve food security nutrition and sustainability I will give you some examples of innovations based on the microbiome For example the development of new food products that would specifically target the intestinal microbiome to improve health There are excellent prototypes in the context of childhood malnutrition and obesity In agriculture microbiome-based innovations are excellent alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides Additionally overall knowledge about the microbiome can help optimize our practices in agriculture and nutrition For example data on the gut microbiome could help improve dietary recommendations How to implement these innovations It is essential to raise awareness about the crucial role of microbiomes in our food systems It is important to establish a dialogue among various stakeholders researchers entrepreneurs political authorities consumers small farmers and citizens in general In this process it is essential to involve the actors from low- and middle-income countries These are the countries where the challenges are the greatest in terms of food security among other things but they are also the ones that could benefit the most