1. Sustainable Management of Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
PARVIZ KOOHAFKAN,

2. GIAHS: Heritage for the future
Definition :
Remarkable Land Use Systems and landscapes which are rich in biological diversity evolving from the ingenious and dynamic adaptation of a community/population to its environment and the needs and aspirations for sustainable development (FAO, 2002)
Integrated Agricultural, Forestry, Livestock and Fishery systems
Result of co-adaptation and co-evolution of plants, animals, humans and landscape under specific environmental circumstances
Managed through highly adapted social and cultural practices and institutions
Provide food and livelihood security and social, cultural and ecosystem services
Important at local, national and global levels
They are under threat

4. GIAHS are important for their contribution to:
Food security, health and nutrition of many poor, helpless and isolated people
Human kind and its Agri-”cultural” diversity
Biodiversity and genetic resources
Agro-ecosystem and landscape diversity
Ecosystem services through functional diversity
Products and services diversity
Collective and individual Knowledge systems
Resilience and adaptive capacity to changes

6. THEY ARE UNDER THREAT BCAUSE OF:
Inappropriate policy, legal and incentive environments
Neglect of diversified systems and local knowledge
Low priority given to in situ conservation
Low community involvement in decision making
Population pressure and cultural change

7. Examples:
Rice based traditional farming systems
Maize and root crop based agro-ecosystems
Taro based systems
Pastoral transhumant and nomadic systems
Ingenious irrigation and soil and water management systems of drylands (oasis and qanat)
Multi-layered home gardens and agro-forestry system

8. NUMEROUS EXAMPLES OF GIAHS EXISTS ACROSS THE WORLD
Japan
Peru
Philippines
Madagascar
Indonesia

9. The overall objective of the GIAHS Partnership is
to establish the basis for the global and national recognition, dynamic conservation and sustainable management of agricultural heritage systems and their associated biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures

10. HOW ?
At Global level
by identification and selection/recognition and creation of World Agricultural Heritage category
At National level
by capacity building in policy, regulatory and incentive mechanisms to safeguard these outstanding systems and use them as sustainability bench mark systems
At Local Level
by empowerment of local communities and technical assistance for sustainable resource management, promoting traditional knowledge and enhancing viability of these systems
HOW ?

11. Partners Www.Fao.Org/landandwater/giahs
GOVERNMENTS, INDIGENOUS NETWORKS
NGOS AND PRIVATE SECTOR
FAO, UNDP, GEF, UNEP, IFAD, UNESCO, ICCROM
IUCN, IPGRI and ISNAR (& other CGIAR), UNU/PLEC, GTZ, COMPAS; ILEIA; IAC
FAO-Contact: &

12. GIAHS is not about the past but the future

13. GIAHS IS BASED ON THE FIVE ASSETS OF RURAL SYSTEMS
Natural Capital:
nature’s goods and services
(waste assimilation, pollination, storm protection, water supply, leisure, wildlife)
Human Capital:
the status of individuals -
health, skills, knowledge
Social Capital:
cohesiveness of people
and societies -
trust, reciprocity,
rules and norms,
networks and institutions
Financial Capital:
money, savings
Physical Capital:
infrastructure

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17. GIAHS APPROACH
Provide best-farmer practices for dissemination to other farmers and areas
Provide detailed local knowledge on productive resources and environment (soils, rainfall conditions, etc)
Provide locally adapted varieties
Provide criteria for technology development (local goals and priorities, gender preferences, etc)
Provide basis for testing new technologies and their goodness-of-fit to local systems and circumstances.
Provide leads for identifying other opportunities for technology development

18. GIAHS DEVELOPMENT GOALS:
Improving understanding of agriculture systems in their environmental, socio-economic policy and cultural dimensions
Generating increased recognition of the global significance of agricultural systems
Building the capacity of national and local institutions and providing support to promote dynamic conservation and sustained viability
Conservation and sustainable use and, rehabilitation of agricultural biodiversity and genetic patrimony, ecosystem services and landscape diversity
Recognition and safeguarding and of the resilience provided by the combination of knowledge systems and social organisation
Mitigating threats of degradation and root causes of dysfunction and enhancing environmental and socio-economic benefits at local and global levels and;
Adding economic, environmental and cultural value to products, artefacts and knowledge systems of GIAHS by supportive policies and incentives for their sustainability

19. What are the best options for the poorest?
GIAHS and POVERTY REDUCTION:
What are the best options for the poorest?
Which work best for the poorest
great success in past… but still 790 million people are food poor
Key questions:
to what extent can farmers improve food production with low-cost and locally-available technologies and inputs?
What impacts do these methods have on environmental goods and services, and the livelihoods of people relying on them?

20. Biodiversity can be seen a a “life insurance policy for life itself” - Something specially needed in this time of fast-paced global change.

21. Thank you