©FAO / Nozim Kalandarov
Rome – The Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today marked a milestone celebrating 28 sites across 14 countries that have been designated as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) over the past two years.
The Award ceremony at FAO’s Rome headquarters was organized in the framework of FAO’s 80th Anniversary. In honouring the sites, it highlighted their vital contribution to protecting agrobiodiversity, sustaining traditional knowledge & strengthening the resilience of rural communities in the face of climate change.
The global GIAHS network currently comprises 102 systems worldwide.
“My special congratulations go to the farmers, fishers, pastoralists & foresters who keep this traditional knowledge alive, at a time when it is more relevant than ever,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in a video message to ceremony participants.
“These time-tested innovations offer practical lessons for protecting ecosystems, adapting to the impacts of the climate crisis, ensuring food security & safeguarding livelihoods,” Qu said. “Each GIAHS site reflects how agricultural traditions can help achieve the Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment & a Better Life – leaving no one behind,” he added.
The ceremony included interventions from Guillem Casal Font, Minister of Environment, Agriculture & Livestock & Government Spokesperson of Andorra; Nilton Garrido de Sousa Pontes, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries & Rural Development of São Tomé & Príncipe; & Hakimzoda Qurbon, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan. Messages were also delivered on behalf of the Ministers of Agriculture of Indonesia, Italy, & Japan.
Other High-level government representatives who attended the Award ceremony were Ana Lilia Rivera Rivera, Senator of the Republic of Mexico; Daniele Milano, Mayor of Amalfi, Italy; & Oswaldo Betancort García, President of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Spain.
The Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, also shared a video message on the occasion, highlighting the strong links between agricultural heritage systems, sustainable tourism & rural development.
The programme also featured a high-level Policy Dialogue session that gathered senior officials of selected countries to discuss & share experience on the enabling environment conducive for the development of GIAHS. It also included a session on “Talk Show – Voices from Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems”, a vibrant exchange that brought together community representatives from Brazil, Ecuador, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Tanzania & Tunisia.
Among them were a Maasai pastoralist leader, an Indigenous woman farmer from Cotacachi, & a haenyeo diver from Jeju Island – each sharing powerful stories of resilience, innovation & cultural pride. Their testimonies showed how agricultural heritage serves as a living laboratory for sustainability, where traditional knowledge & innovation work hand in hand to protect biodiversity, strengthen food security & inspire future generations.
An exhibition of products, images & stories from agricultural heritage systems around the world accompanied the ceremony in the FAO Atrium. Selected exhibits from GIAHS sites are also displayed in the new Food & Agriculture Museum & Network – FAO MuNe, in the area “Tradition & Innovation,” offering visitors a glimpse of all 102 designated systems.
Since its launch in 2002 & formal endorsement as a corporate programme by FAO in 2015, the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) initiative has identified & safeguarded remarkable agricultural systems in 29 countries across five regions. Characterized by agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge & cultural heritage, these resilient landscapes are sustainably managed by farming, fishing, pastoralist & forest-dependent communities. By bridging tradition & innovation, GIAHS supports them in preserving ancestral practices while fostering sustainable rural development & more resilient agrifood systems, in line with FAO’s vision for the Four Betters & the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Source: FAO News