FAQ

1. What does GIAHS stand for and what are GIAHS?
2. When was GIAHS concept formulated?
3. What is the goal and objectives of the GIAHS Initiative?
4. What are the intervention strategies of the GIAHS Initiative?
5. What is dynamic conservation approach?
6. How is GIAHS initiative trying to achieve both its development and sustainability goals in the face of globalization and global climate change/variability?
7. What do we mean by five assets of rural systems?
8. What are the criteria for judging adaptive management and dynamic progress?
9. At the rural community level, what are the factors that are most frequently at the base of the sustainable management of land and natural resources?
10. Why intervene in situations where the people concerned are already practicing ingenious and sustainable land and natural resource management techniques?
11. What kinds of local partners will GIAHS work with?
12. What are good policies for dynamic conservation of GIAHS and sustainable agriculture and rural development?
13. What are the advantages of using traditional agricultural knowledge systems?
14. How are the GIAHS sites and candidate systems chosen?
15. Will GIAHS Initiative work on sites in industrialized countries?

Based on the above examples or classification of GIAHS, there are a number of criteria and guidelines that must be met. Selection of GIAHS is made based on various criteria, some of the major criteria for selection, are as follows:

Systems criteria:

• systems ingenuity and remarkability
• outstanding characteristics (biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; landscape and land and water resource management characteristics; food and livelihood security; social organisation and culture; knowledge systems and farmers’ unique technologies including cosmovisions and associated value systems)
• proved history of sustainability (economic viability and sustainability; adaptive capacity, human-ecological sustainability)
• global significance

Contextual criteria:

• representation
• external threats
• policy and development relevance

Project implementation criteria:

• project integration: country eligibility (FAO member countries) and country driven-ness
• co-finance potential: endorse by the Government
• project approach