Abstract
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations launched a global partnership initiative for the conservation and adaptive management of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in 2002. China is one of the first countries that responded to the GIAHS initiative, witnessed by the designation of Qingtian Rice-Fish Culture by FAO in June 2005. It is also the first country that identifies and conserves agricultural heritage systems at the national level, demonstrated by the initiation of China-Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS) by Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in March 2012. In the past five years, progress on the identification, conservation and management of China-NIAHS has been widely achieved in China; however, challenges such as lack of adequate mastery of potential agricultural heritage systems, lack of local popularization of their concept and connotations, and lack of endogenous motives for their conservation and development are also in front of China. This paper reviewed the progress and discussed the challenges, aiming to help formulate suggestions for the future conservation and management of agricultural heritage systems and also to provide an opportunity for other countries to understand the nation’s efforts on the conservation and management of agricultural heritage systems.
Highlights
Today, a major challenge facing humanity is how to achieve sustainable agriculture that provides sufficient food and ecosystem services for both present and future generations
The conservation and adaptive management of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a global partnership initiative launched by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2002, in response to the gSluostbaainlabtirlietyn2d01s7,t9h,a16t9u8 ndermine small-scale family agriculture and traditional agricultura2l osfy1s4tems
Progress is limited to the number but is represented in many other aspects, which has made China, though shortcomings exist, become an example for other countries to learn from. This paper reviewed such progress aiming to help formulate suggestions for the future conservation and management of NIAHS in China as well as to provide an opportunity for other countries to understand China’s efforts on NIAHS conservation and management
Summary
A major challenge facing humanity is how to achieve sustainable agriculture that provides sufficient food and ecosystem services for both present and future generations. Modern agricultural systems, which are based on high technological inputs and oriented to maximizing profits, have been criticized as often being detrimental and nonviable when considered from social and ecological perspectives [1,2,3] This realization has led experts to reflect on modern agricultural systems and look for help from traditional ones that have been developed and maintained by local farmers for centuries with ingenious practices that often result in both community food security and the conservation of ecosystem services [4,5,6]. This paper reviewed such progress aiming to help formulate suggestions for the future conservation and management of NIAHS in China as well as to provide an opportunity for other countries to understand China’s efforts on NIAHS conservation and management
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
