Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, or GIAHS, have been defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as “remarkable land use systems and landscapes which are rich in globally significant biological diversity evolving from the co-adaption of community with its environment  and its needs and aspirations for sustainable development.” These specific agricultural systems and landscapes reflect local knowledge, management practices, and natural resources. Maintained by farmers and herders over generations, these systems not only provide food and incomes, but also harbor  significant agricultural biodiversity and support the provision of other ecosystem services.

During yesterday’s events of the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP11), the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, in partnership with the FAO, held a Side Event on the topic of GIAHS.  The goals of the event were to foster discussion, and to share experiences, best practices, and lessons learned by local governments and tribal communities around the potential values and benefits of traditional agriculture for improving livelihoods and ecological security.

Started in 2002, the GIAHS initiative aims to establish the basis for international recognition, dynamic conservation, and adaptive management of GIAHS and their agricultural biodiversity, knowledge systems, food and livelihood security, and cultures throughout the world. Pilot systems have already been launched to explore and implement conservation management approaches. Recently, two GIAHS sites have been identified and launched in India. 

The side event also served to showcase these recently designated GIAHS sites in India – the traditional agriculture system of Koraput and the below sea level farming system in the Kuttanad region. Composed of a mosaic of different land uses, both systems harbor considerable agrobiodiversity, provide a range of environmental services, support the livelihoods of local residents, and also face threats from pressures on land and natural resources.