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Milan, Italy, 16 October 2015

Milano Expo, held from May to October 2015, enhanced awareness of the people all over the world on the issues as to how increasing demand for food can be met while maintaining sustainability. In this sense, lessons learned and experiences gained through long time of cultivation and farming practices in GIAHS sites and potential sites could provide useful and practical implications for possible solution. This is due to the characteristic of GIAHS as a showcase of having achieved sustainable production system and livelihood in harmony with the environment, balanced ecosystems.

From October 16 to 21, 2015, five Japanese local governments which holds GIAHS sites (Niigata, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, Oita and Kumamoto) jointly organized exhibition of their GIAHS sites, their food and agricultural products, traditional cultures and local cuisine, and beauty of their natural landscapes, on the occasion of Milano Expo in the Japanese Pavilion.

Since 2011, five Japanese sites have been designated as GIAHS sites. This marked remarkable progress for GIAHS in the sense that GIAHS sites are proved to exist not only in developing countries but also in developed countries.  Noto International Forum on GIAHS held in May 2013 in Ishikawa, Japan, adopted Noto Communique which stressed the need to increase more GIAHS sites and encouraged assistance to developing countries willing to identify their sites.

The event started with the opening ceremony on October 16 with attendance of the Mr. Tanimoto, the Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture, Professor Takeuchi of UNU, Mr. Matsui, the Major of Kakegawa city and Japanese Councillor in Milano. Video Message by FAO Director–General, Dr. José Graziano da Silva Graziano was also released.  The entire event had many cultural exhibitions, promotion of local agricultural products and traditional cuisine, as is shown in the following table.