Agricultural production and the pandemic

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), declared the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus as official on March 11th, 2020. The whole world adopted social distancing as the main measure for the prevention of contagion, and the lifestyles of millions of people changed drastically (^{Cucinotta and Vanelli, 2020}). The social and economic sectors were the most affected; however, the greatest challenge has been for the health and agri-food sectors, since they are the engine of a world that seems to have been put on hold (^{Haleem and Javaid, 2020}). The COVID-19 disease currently jeopardizes food security, due to its impact on regional agricultural value chains, causing an imbalance between the demand and availability of food (^{FAO, 2020a}). The situation worsens if we consider that the current agri-food system scenario is not sustainable and its weakening is a risk factor per se and in regard to the health of the world’s inhabitants (^{FAO et al., 2020}).

Currently, agri-food production is based on the excessive use of synthetic and/or biologically manipulated inputs (^{Chávez-Díaz et al., 2020}; ^{FAO, 2020b}; ^{FAO et al., 2020}; ^{Francis, 2020}; ^{Siche, 2020}), producing intense socioeconomic and environmental impacts that jeopardize food security and self-sufficiency:

The ongoing pandemic forces us to reflect upon the lifestyle humanity has adapted and the way in which we relate to nature and agro-ecosystems, as well as to implement alternatives that lead to environmental and social well-being. This document discusses a reassessment of the agri-food sector in the light of the world COVID-19 health crisis, based on the premise of food provision as an agro-ecosystemic service. It centers on plant health, one of the main technological and scientific areas in the wholesome production of food, and on the potential of microbial genetic resources (MGR) applied to biological control as a source of balance, functionality, productivity and profitability of agri-food activities.

The biological component in agri-food production

Agroecosystems, artificial ecosystems closely associated to the biological activity of the soil-related microbiota (^{Sahu et al., 2017}), and to plant microbiome, provide ecosystemic services such as pest regulation, pollination, nutrient cycling, climate regulation, soil conservation, supplying water, and the production of foods and materials, by means of a complex network of interactions between microorganisms, plants, animals, environmental conditions and agricultural practices (^{Power, 2010}). This process, known as the functionality of agro-ecosystems, depends directly on the soil biodiversity (^{Saleem et al., 2019}) and ensures that, for each type of crop and its specific conditions, there is a key community of microorganisms in charge of the functionality of the agro-ecosystem. This is conceived as a microbiome (^{Whipps et al., 1988}). Currently, from an agri-food point of view, a microbiome is the set of microorganisms, their functional genetic material, ecological niches and the product of its interactions in an agri-food habitat, under certain conditions in a specific moment; understanding, however, that the ‘moment’ is a product of the complex relations established in time. The microbiomes have a close relation with the biotope that, under the influence of abiotic factors throughout time, result in a functional biological unit, or a holobiont (^{Berg et al., 2020}; ^{Hassani et al., 2018}). Holobionts have co-evolved with their environment throughout time, adapting to adverse weather conditions and to pathogens, therefore their study represents a source of opportunities to achieve food security, mitigate and adapt to climate change and the control of diseases (^{Altieri and Nicholls, 2020}; ^{Dhar and Mohanty, 2020}; ^{Simon et al., 2019}; ^{Thomashow et al., 2018}). However, a holobiont may be severely affected by agrochemicals and pesticides such as bromomethante (a banned biocide), glyphosate, carbamates and others. In this way, the productivity of the agri-food sector and the preservation of the means of production depend on the fine balance between the characteristics of the crop in association with its microbiome, based on the environmental conditions and the management of the agro-ecosystem (e.g., cultural practices, varieties used, etc.).

Human well-being and the microbial diversity in agro-ecosystems

Scientific evidence from the past 30 years correlates health conditions and diseases of human, animals and plants, and environmental deterioration with their respective microbial diversity (^{Delgado-Baquerizo et al., 2020}; ^{Trivedi et al., 2020}; ^{Zhang et al., 2020}; ^{Song et al., 2019}; ^{Wei et al., 2019}; ^{Park, 2018}; ^{Singh and Trivedi, 2017}; ^{Wall et al., 2015}; ^{Cox et al., 2013}; ^{Berendsen et al., 2012}; ^{Heller and Zavaleta 2009}; ^{Turnbaugh et al., 2007}).

The microbial diversity of agro-ecosystems has a direct impact on human health, since it is implied in multiple biological and productive processes and factors (Figure 1):

Figure 1 Impact of biodiversity and sustainable agriculture on human health. 

The increase in the microbial diversity in agro-ecosystems related to yield and plant health (^{Singh et al., 2020}; ^{Trivedi et al., 2020}), to the beneficial impact of probiotics (^{Infusino et al., 2020}; ^{Song et al., 2019}; ^{Cox et al., 2013}) and of foods with adequate nutritional and nutraceutical characteristics for human health (^{Mercado-Mercado et al., 2020}; Ramírez-Vega et al., 2020; ^{Stanisavljevic et al., 2020}) are strategies that can translate into resilience and stability for the prevention of diseases, and even against unfavorable contingencies such as the ongoing pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Age, gender, chronic diseases, medications, and lifestyle are some of the risk factors for the state of COVID-19 to become serious (^{Chidambaram et al., 2020}). The nutritional state of people, derived from diets based on wholesome, quality foods along with nutritional supplements have been considered crucial in clinical responses to COVID-19, since they have a direct effect on the modulation of the immune system and inflammatory responses, weakening the impacts of the disease (^{Aman and Masood, 2020}; ^{Dhar and Mohanty, 2020}; ^{Infusino et al., 2020}; Rishi et al., 2020). In this context, and in the light of the implications of chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases on the clinical seriousness of COVID-19, the National Public Health Institute, appointed by the Mexican Secretariat of Health, managed to promote the labelling of foods with a regulation that became effective on October 1^st, 2020, as a strategy to promote healthy eating (Editor’s note). It is therefore unquestionable that the agri-food sector and the production of foods play an essential part in human health, in preventing diseases and the mitigation of health emergencies such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Dysbiosis in the technified agricultural model

Dysbiosis is a state in which microbiota is unbalanced, the key niches are not covered and the complex network of interactions of the agricultural ecosystem is not functional, leading to a state of illness (^{Olesen and Alm, 2016}). In this context, technified agri-food production, based on the implementation of synthetic inputs to eliminate plant pathogens, has made the situation worse since, along with pest organisms, it also eliminates or affects the beneficial microbiota, and in many cases, it produces resistance in microorganisms it intends to eliminate (^{Thanner et al., 2016}). This strong disruption contributes to mutagenic processes in the microorganisms, which contributes, in some environmental conditions, to their abrupt or explosive increase, leading to an environmental imbalance (Figure 2).

Hosts and microorganisms have coevolved in time to reach highly specialized symbiotic relations. Both symbionts, immersed in the evolutionary race, have developed “collaborative” or defense mechanisms (hosts) and mechanisms that help them adapt (microorganisms) as mutualists or pathogens (^{Hassani et al., 2018}; ^{Matveeva et al., 2018}). This coevolution is limited or strengthened by environmental and anthropogenic conditions, and it has a considerable effect on the balance between populations with a higher degree of selective pressure. In this way, hosts, microorganisms and other living beings related to the ecological niche are subjected to a continuous adaptation, necesary to define their role in the agro-ecosystem (^{Thrall et al., 2011}) (Figure 2). The main element of the process of coevolution is genetic reciprocity; i.e., when an organism develops a trait as an adaptive response towards a factor that affects its biological aptitude, the biological counterpart will respond by generating another trait or traits which will allow them to adapt to the new trait developed by the first organism, and so on (^{McDonald, 2004}). The generation of these traits or phenotypes is ruled by different evolutionary forces (^{Zhan, 2016}; ^{McDonald, 2004}), thus hosts, microorganisms and other organisms related to agricultural systems coevolve, adapting to their surroundings if anthropomorphic action guarantees time as a factor of evolution. Under conditions of biodiversity and ecological balance, for every trait generated, other traits are produced which weaken it and a balance or state of health can be maintained. Under conditions of dysbiosis, such as the ones presented in a technified agricultural system, there are ecological gaps (e.g., those caused by agrochemicals), which cause the survival of a small group of individuals, which find ways to feed themselves, eventually leading to a state of imbalance or state of disease (Figure 2). In addition, cultural practices and the accelerated biological cycles of technified agriculture, along with the impact of urbanization, pollution and climate change on it exert great selective pressure on certain groups of benefitial organisms, making their establishment difficult in both micro and macroenvironments (Figure 2) (^{Tooker et al., 2020}). When analyzing the technified agri-food sector under this perspective, it is pardoxical to ask why there are currently human, animal and plant pathogens that are resistant to multiple factors, which become more and more difficult to control with every production cycle (^{Tooker et al., 2020}; ^{Brown and Tillier, 2011}). It is necessary to distinguish between technified productive systems, generally extensive monocultures, some of which have transgenic varieties (e.g. glyphosate-resistant soybeans or maize that has become pest-resistant due to the use of gene Bt) and traditional, subsistence or organic ones, which have a lower or null impact on soil and plant microbial systems (Editor’s note).

Figure produced by the author, based on the schemes by ^{Zhan (2016}) and Agrios (2005).

Figure 2 Effects of the co-evolution in the agroecosystems on the states of biodiversity and of dysbiosis.  

Agri-food production models for nutrition and health

Since the so-called Green Revolution, agriculture has obtained higher yields using techniques that cause an economic and social imbalance (^{Chávez-Díaz et al., 2020}). Production yield has increased using water technologies, nutrients, weed and pathogen control, and the use of varieties that are generally resistant to biotic and abiotic factors. However, productivity and the development of agriculture to guarantee world food security (^{Ecker et al., 2011}) forces us to search for productive models and technologies based on the use of alternatives, which not only maintain the balance of the microbiota of the agrosystem, but also increase crop yields, inhibit the growth of pests and diseases in plants, allow the conservation of natural productive assets, contribute to caring for the environment and benefit humanity from a comprehensive scheme, including respect for the productive knowledge and cultural values. These models include organic agriculture, synchronous agricultural production, polyculture or mixed crop systems, minimal tilling, no tilling, and the use of composting technology, the improvement of soils with beneficial microorganisms, biopesticides, nanoparticles or plant extracts, and others (Figure 2).

Synchronic farming communities offer a better management of resources, the conservation of means of production and the environment, and they are economically and socially responsible, since they provide local and international distribution chains with stability and resilience (^{Marsden and Smith, 2005}). The pragmatic application of this approach is represented in rural cooperatives with variations, depending on the productive philosophy.

Organic agriculture avoids the use of synthetic inputs and is based mainly on crop rotations, the use of animal manure (e.g., chicken manure, bovine manure, etc.) and crop residues as soil improvement and nutrient-mobilizing and plant-protecting biological systems (^{Patle et al., 2020}).

Conventional tilling modifies the structure of the soil surface and the continuity of porous space and reduces the content of organic matter, therefore it drastically reduces microbiota related to the agricultural ecosystem (^{Alonso-Báez et al., 2011}). Other types of tilling have been evaluated to understand the benefits they provide to the stability of the soil microbiota; particularly minimum tilling, which maintains a greater richness and uniformity of the microbial community, as well as a functional diversity of microorganisms involved in biogeochemical cycles (^{Legrand et al., 2018}).

Composts are organic amendement that stimulate microbiological process for the decomposition of organic matter when used as a source of carbon and energy. The main benefits of carbon are the supply of nutrients, carbon sequestration, the induction of pest and pathogen suppressiveness, the improvement of soil structure, biodiversity, retention of soil moisture and reduction of soil erosion, and the increase of enzyme activity and microbial biomass, all of which contributes towards the increase of crop yields (^{Martínez-Blanco et al., 2013}). Regarding the use of secondary metabolites and nanoparticles as biological control products, there is imprecise or contrasting information on the effect of these products on the composition of microbiota related to the soil. However, one can assume that they exert some type of modification with a still unevaluated scope.

The integration of strategies is a logical alternative, but it requires the scientific backup to optimize the cost-benefit. The combination of conservation agriculture, bioproducts, composts, nanoparticles or plant extracts under an organic agriculture model has displayed promising effects. The study, validation and implementation of the combination of several alternative techniques in agricultural production is a field of action that can be developed to generate a sustainable form of agriculture, considering the nutritional and health needs of the population. However, public research planning and investment policies must foster technological development for sustainable agriculture, that is, creating or optimizing dynamic regional agricultural systems that mitigate or eliminate environmental damages related to technified agriculture and that prioritize the production of sufficient food with nutritional and nutraceutical characteristics that ensure human health (^{Goicochea and Antolín, 2017}). The purpose is to position agriculture within a holistic context and recover its humanistic condition (^{Horrigan et al., 2002}). However, it is worth acknowledging the great political, governmental and geoeconomic challenges to be overcome on a global, national and local scale, for both the design and implementation of a more sustainable agri-food development (^{Antle and Ray, 2020}).

Microbial genetic resources for a sustainable agriculture

One out of every nine people in the world (820 million) suffers from chronic starvation and over 2 million suffer nutritional deficiency (^{Usher et al., 2020}). In addition to this, the COVID-19 pandemic has further destabilized global food production and food security (^{Khan et al., 2020}). In this sense, the current interruption in the continuous food supply is an enormous problem, due to the risk of contagion of SARS-CoV-2 among the staff hired for the harvest, processing, transportation and distribution of food (^{Henry et al., 2020}). The same applies for people who operate the production and supply of inputs needed for agriculture, leading to shortages of such as glass, cardboard and wood needed for containers and packaging, as well as of fuels, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, seeds, etc. (^{Marlow et al., 2020}). This has led to reduced incomes for producers, fluctuations in prices and instability in the supply of basic foods, severely affecting nutrition worldwide, and a reduction of up to 22% of the global market.

Thus, the creation and use of easy-access, efficient, economically feasible, socially fair and sustainable agro-biotechnology developed by the same countries is decisive for the production of foods of high nutritional quality and the reduction of vulnerable groups, which would guarantee food security and national sovereignty. Among the most promising strategies are the use of the genetic and metabolic diversity of the microbial genetic resources (MGR) found in agro-ecosystems. This microbiota, as mentioned earlier, is an important component to maintain the chemical and biological fertility of the soil. Inside the microbiota is a group of Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms (PGPM) (^{Valenzuela-Aragon et al., 2019}), which interact with the crops through direct and/or indirect action mechanisms, regulating their growth, the production and quality of products by increasing the tolerance of plants to abiotic and biotic stress, improving their nutrition and generating antagonism against phytopathogens and some root pests.

Nowadays, and in the light of the ongoing pandemic, the use of PGPM is an efficient and sustainable alternative for the agricultural sector (^{Chávez-Díaz et al., 2020}). The beneficial effect of PGPM on crops is a result of several microbial interaction mechanisms with plants, the main ones of which are (^{Valenzuela-Ruiz et al., 2018}; ^{Villarreal-Delgado et al., 2018}):

The use of PGPM has been proven to lead to increases in the productivity and quality of foods, reducing economic and environmental costs produced by the increased use of synthetic agricultural inputs. For example, ^{Adesemoye et al. (2009}) inoculated a microbial consortium composed of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. pumilus and Glomus intraradices on tomato, (Solanum sp.) planted with 25% less than the recommended amount of fertilizer with a similar effect to the conventional fertilization dose. This consortium improved crop growth, yield, and nutrient absorption (nitrogen and phosphorous). On the other hand, ^{Bakhshandeh et al. (2017}) reported that the inoculation of Pantoea ananatis, Rahnella aquatilis and Enterobacter sp. on rice (Oryza sp.) seeds significantly increased plant height, foliar biomass and potassium absorption in leaves, stem and root. Similarly, ^{Robles-Montoya et al. (2020}) reported that the inoculation of Bacillus cabrialesii, B. paralicheniformis and B. subtilis on wheat (Triticum sp.) seedlings significantly increased the length and dry weight of the aerial section, root length, stem diameter and the biovolume index. Similar results were found in B. megaterium and B. paralicheniformis (^{Rojas-Padilla et al., 2020}).

The use of the crop-related microbial biodiversity through the MGR of the planet is a sustainable alternative to boost food production with a high nutritional value, in the light of the problems related to the ongoing pandemic. In this sense, the preservation of MGRs is decisive to preserve the beneficial microbiota found in agro-ecosystems and to provide authentic, stable and biosafe biological material for the development of efficient microbial inoculants (^{Díaz-Rodríguez et al., 2021}).

Conservation of microbial genetic resources

The conservation of microbial genetic resources (MGR) is crucial to provide relevant technological solutions to the problems faced by human society. The current and future use of these resources is the most important activity of conservation centers, germplasm banks and collections of macro and microorganisms, by means of in situ, ex situ, and in-factory conservation procedures and strategies, mainly in world crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic (^{Khoury et al., 2010}; ^{Mishra et al., 2020}; ^{Sung and Hwang, 2015}). Mexico has made an effort, in the past 20 years, to establish conservation and investigation centers or laboratories with high-end, specialized human resources (Ayala-Zepeda et al., 2021, in this section) (Figures 3, 4). This effort includes the National Genetic Resource Center of the National Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research Center (Centro Nacional de Recursos Genéticos del Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias, or CNRG-INIFAP). The CNRG is the first center of its kind in Mexico with the mission of conserving and preserving the MGR of the country related to the agri-food sector to guarantee the well-being of present and future generations. It has been estimated that the CNRG will be the world’s most complete beneficial microbe and plant germplasm bank in the world (SADER, 2016) (Figure 3).

The activities of the Microbial Genetic Resources Laboratory (Laboratorio de Recursos Genéticos Microbianos) of the CNRG-INIFAP include the constant search for microbial genetic resources of agricultural interest, which are characterized and identified using different microbiological techniques, valued for their possible agrobiotecnological use or as taxonomic reference material, and the study of biodiversity in the agroecosystems from the application of omic sciences.

Fifty percent of the planet’s living biomass is said to be of microbial nature, and although its empirical use has existed for millennia, its systematic study began in the late 19th century with L. Pasteur, R. Koch. F. Cohn, A De Bary, G.A. Hansen and others, motivated by diseases and epidemics in plants, humans and animals (Mora-Aguilera et al., 2021 in Section 1). The etiological transition to technology implied escalating the cultivation of microorganisms in specialized laboratories to generate biotechnological developments applicable to agriculture (^{Desmeth, 2017}). In this context, an MGR can be defined as any microbial strain that is authenticated, taxonomically defined, physiologically characterized, with quality control, well-documented and with real or potential value (^{Sharma et al., 2018}) (Figure 4). The 758 collections registered in the World Data Center for Microorganisms (WDCM)(http://www.wdcm.org/) facilitate the study of MGRs, since they help find taxonomic reference material and systematize archives on microbial biological diversity in the wide symbiotic spectrum.

Figure 3 The National Genetic Resource Center of the National Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research Center (Centro Nacional de Recursos Genéticos del Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias, or CNRG-INIFAP), created to preserve and protect the beneficial microbe and plant biodiversity related to the Mexican agri-food sector. Researchers of the Microbial Genetic Resources Laboratory (Laboratorio de Recursos Genéticos Microbianos) working on the identification of agriculturally important fungi and the conservation of plant growth-promoting bacteria. 

Most of these biological resource conservation centers follow the guidelines of the World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC) ( http://www.wfcc.info/), the practices of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ( https://www.oecd.org/), and the regulations for the access and donation of biological organisms of the Nagoya Protocol on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (https://www.cbd.int/abs/), as well as depositing the inventories of their collections in the Global Catalogue of Microorganisms (GCM) (http://gcm.wdcm.org/) to promote the visibility and accessibility of the strains that these centers conserve (^{Pilling et al., 2020}).

The CBD, the international instrument for the conservation of biological diversity, acquires great relevance in these moments, considering that all evidence indicates that the ongoing biodiversity crisis is one of the main factors in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 (^{Hossain et al., 2020}). Furthermore, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operation and the conservation status of genetic resources worldwide has undergone scarce evaluation and it is too soon to evaluate its effects (^{Neupane, 2020}). However, both positive and negative consequences are expected, mainly on the inclusion of considerations on human health in the planning of land use, the strengthening of links between health and biological diversity to support preventive health approaches, as well as the development of biodiversity legislation, regulation and management aspects in the face of future crises (^{Bang and Khadakkar, 2020}). For example, the diversity of coronaviruses in bats, as a strategy for the prevention of diseases in humans, has been studied for over 10 years, motivated by the emergence of zoonotic diseases SARS-CoV (2003) and MERS-CoV (2012). However, the importance of studies on diversity for human health is now unquestionable, therefore national and international programs for their study have been created or strengthened (Editor’s note).

Figure 4 Mexican microbial strains in the process of characterization for their incorporation into the Collection of Microorganisms of the CNRG INIFAP. A) Pseudomonas sp. with lipolytic ability; B) Trichoderma sp. with lignolytic ability; C) culture of Bacillus subtilis; D) Pseudomonas fluorescens under ultraviolet light; E) Pseudomonas protegens with phosphate-solublilizing ability; F) Structures of Trichoderma sp. observed under the microscope; G) Trichoderma sp. with plant growth-promoting ability; H) Bacillus sp. reducing the growth of Fusarium sp; I) Bacillus amilolyquefaciens; J) Fusarium boothii culture; K) Trichoderma sp. with cellulolytic ability; L) Pseudomonas sp. reducing the growth of Aspergillus sp; M) Preliminary exploratory study of metatranscriptome related to chili pepper plants (Capsicum sp). 

The COVID-19 pandemic puts into perspective the importance of preserving MGR with potential for food security, which involves in vivo microbiota and the genomic, proteomic and metabolomic archives. However, there are still knowledge gaps related to the diversity of microorganisms in agro-ecosystems, the identification and characterization of species of diverse taxonomic and functional groups, the biological mechanisms in interaction processes, the participation of MGRs in the supply of services in agro-ecosystems and agri-food production, as well as the effect of climate and microenvironmental changes produced by agricultural practices and the use of synthetic inputs (^{Sandoval-Cancino et al., 2022}; ^{Córdova-Albores et al., 2021}; ^{Pilling et al., 2020}). On the other hands, the biodiversity of MGRs is dwindling in agro-ecosystems due to the destruction of habitats, the inadequate use of pesticides, the effects of climate change, and others (^{FAO, 2019}). In this context, MGR conservation centers provide valuable biological resources for agricultural, agro-industrial scientists and farmers, since they keep and provide strains or isolations of beneficial microorganisms for different agricultural crops and plantations, authentic reference strains with taxonomic value for research purposes. The development of human resources with an expertise in classic and molecular microbiological management, as well as in the comprehension of plant-microorganism interactions is also a fundamental contribution (^{Díaz-Rodríguez et al., 2021}; ^{Soltanighias et al., 2018}).

Apart from the previsions implemented worldwide on the importance of the conservation of MGRs in emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, dissemination on the role MGRs play in the food security of each country is necessary, implementing participatory channels throughout the productive, academic and commercial sectors involved in guaranteeing the regional agricultural produce. The AgroEvent ‘Productos biológicos; una herramienta para potenciar el campo mexicano’ (Biological products; a tool to strengthen the Mexican countryside), organized by the INIFAP and the Technological Institute of Sonora (Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora) on November 27th, 2020, and its second edition ‘Microorganismos para el Desarrollo sostenible del sector agropecuario de México’ (Microorganisms for the Sustainable Development of the Mexican Agricultural Sector) illustrates this strategy (http://cmcnrg.inifap.gob.mx/agroevento/; t.ly/RjAh). Its aim was to provide a space to connect and to disseminate information on the use of biological products in agriculture and the importance of effective cost-benefit technologies for the sustainable innovation of technified agricultural production in Mexico. The event, in its two editions, had the institutional participation of Mexican scientists involved in the development and conservation of organisms with a potential for biological control and the implementation of sustainable and profitable agrobiotechnologies for different productive actors. The dissemination of the event via different media led to an attendance of 1,582 people from eight Latin American countries. This indicates the great interest and potential of MGR in agriculture and the vitality of this activity in times of COVID-19.

Conclusions

This document reassessed the role of the agri-food sector in the light of the current world crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the premise that the supply of food for the world’s population, along with plant health as an essential activity to achieve an optimum yield, are ecosystemic services that rely broadly on the microbiota of the soil and agro-ecosystems, we can argue that biodiversity translates into balance, functionality, productivity and health. Thus, the suppressiveness of plant pathogens is only one benefit of edaphic microbiota. On the other hand, some microorganisms in agroecosystems integrate into the human gut microbiota, contributing towards the prevention of diseases due to their implication in the modulation of responses of immune system and inflammatory responses. For several years, technified agriculture has been considered unsustainable due to the deterioration of the production assets (water, soil, plants) at a higher speed than that at which it can regenerate. The excessive dependence on synthetic inputs (pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers) leads to dysbiosis or a rupture in the complex biological systems, resulting in the degradation of the ecosystemic services. As a consequence, the management of pests, diseases and weeds is inefficient and unsustainable. The gaps produced in ecological niches make nutrient cycles difficult, impacting the infertility and conservation of the health of soils. This leads, both in pesticides as in fertilizers, to a vicious circular strategy with a high cost for the farmer, the environment and society. These unfavorable cycles could eventually jeopardize food security and self-sufficiency with a greater effect on communities and countries with a great dependence on external inputs. This became evident with the breakage of the supply chain of agricultural inputs and products due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is still possible to argue that human health and agricultural productivity can depend on the functionality of agro-ecosystems and on the balance of its biodervisity. The mission of agri-food sciences is to face agriculture with a social and humanistic vision, and in our area of biotechnology, to preserve MGRs and contribute to plant health from an ecological point of view. The study approach must usderstand the agroecosystems as functional biological units or agricultural holobionts for the creation of sustainable and resilient biotechnolgy strategies to prevent production crises and to mitigate emerging impacts such as the ongoing pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. All countries must generate public policies and invest in research under this sustainable agricultural vision. It is our need and our duty in the face of the environmental deterioration worldwide.