Rome, Italy, 18 October 2013

On 17 October 2013, Land and Water Division received the 17-member delegation from the Republic of Korea headed by Mr. Un-gi Kim, Deputy Director of the General Services Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA). Mr Kim visited FAO along with local government officials from Jeju and Cheongsando islands. Read more>

Ishikawa, Japan, 3 June 2013

“Our agricultural heritage represents both the past and the future,” said the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Mr José Graziano Da Silva, in his address to the International Forum on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).

The event, organized by the FAO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Government of Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, was held in the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, from 29 May to 1 June 2013. Read more>

Ishikawa, Japan, 22 April 2013

The GIAHS Global Partnership Initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and Ishikawa Prefectural Government of Japan will hold the 4th International Forum on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) from 29 May to 1 June 2013, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Within this Forum, a High Level Session will be organized aimed at discussing and providing public with a better understanding of the agricultural heritage concept and raising awareness about evolving traditional systems and sustainable management of natural resources that contributes to world food security. Read more>

Rome, Italy, 18 April 2013

The 2nd GIAHS Newsletter is now available. In this 2nd Edition, we take you on a journey  throughout the different GIAHS sites around the world, to visit the local farming communities and have a look at these remarkable systems. Read more>

Rome, Italy, 18 April 2013

CGRFA  and the GIAHS Initiative share  the common goal of  conserving biodiversity for food and agriculture and promoting its use in support of global food security and sustainable development, for present and future generations. Read more>

Beijing, China, 17 April 2013

China is a ‘mega-biodiversity’ country, holding about one-tenth of total world species; it is also a country of ‘mega-cultural diversity’ with 56 minorities, each having its own unique culture, traditions, folk arts and languages. Despite this biological and cultural diversity, China’s agricultural heritage, rooted in over a 1,000 years of history, was about to be lost forever. Read more>

Beijing, China, 17 April 2013

Traditional farming systems are often considered ‘backward’, doomed to be phased out during agricultural modernization. Before GIAHS was introduced into China around 2005, agricultural heritage was not valued by national or local governments or the farmers themselves. Although a few Chinese researchers studied aspects of traditional farming practices, policy-makers and farmers ignored their message. Read more>

Kanazawa, Japan, 17 April 2013

GIAHS Noto peninsula is on the brink of unprecedented challenges posed by decreasing and ageing population. “Experiencing these tough challenges has encouraged us to develop activities for a holistic approach to help reactivate and build a stronger Noto Satoyama and Satoumi” says Prof Koji Nakamura, the deputy president of Kanazawa University and the mentor of the Meister Training program. Read more>

Puno, Peru, 16 April 2013

In the extensive high Andean plateaus of the Puno region in Peru, embankment systems or artificial land elevations interspersed with deep irrigation channels can be seen. These systems, known as sukaqollos, waru warus or camellones, were developed by the pre Inca culture, 1000 B.C and serve for drainage, sub irrigation and water storage. The sukaqollos are effective means to cultivate tubers (potatoes, oca, olluco and mashua), grains (quinoa, kañihua and tarwi), cereals (barley and oats) and beans.  Read more>