Global Agricultural Heritage Systems (giahs) Sites in India: At a Glance

A GIAHS is a dynamic, changing system of human groups in a complex interaction with their territory, cultural or agricultural landscape, biophysical environment, and larger social context.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) established a Global Partnership Initiative on conservation and adaptive management of “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems” during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002.

The GIAHS Program’s overarching purpose is to identify and protect globally significant agricultural heritage systems, as well as their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity, knowledge systems, and culture.

A Brief Background of GHIAS:

• Globally Important Agricultural Historic Systems (GIAHS) are different from traditional heritage sites and protected areas/landscapes in that they are more complicated. They are stunningly beautiful landscapes that blend agricultural biodiversity, resilient ecosystems, and historically significant cultural heritage.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has classified 62 systems in 22 countries as agricultural historic sites since 2005, and 15 fresh bids from nine countries have been received as of June 2021.

• GIAHS Importance – These ancestral agricultural systems provide a foundation for current and future agricultural advancements and technologies. Their cultural, ecological, and agricultural diversity may be seen in many regions of the world, and they preserve unique agricultural systems.

• GIAHS is under jeopardy – Climate change and rising competition for natural resources are among the threats facing the world’s most important agricultural heritage systems. They are also coping with migration as a result of low economic viability, which has resulted in the abandonment of traditional farming practices and the extinction of indigenous species and breeds.

Objectives of GIAHS:

The following are the main goals of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems:

• To increase global and national awareness of the relevance of agricultural heritage systems, as well as institutional support for their preservation.
• Governments, UNESCO, FAO governing bodies, the World Heritage Centre, and other partners can help obtain global recognition.
• Building the capacity of local farming communities and local and national organisations to conserve and manage GIAHS, generate income, and add economic value to such systems’ commodities and services in a sustainable manner.
• To promote GIAHS conservation, evolutionary adaptation, and viability by promoting enabling regulatory policies and incentive settings.
• Evaluation of existing policies and incentive mechanisms, as well as the development of modalities for promoting sustainable farming practises
• Increasing the benefits gained by local populations from resource protection and sustainable usage
• Strengthening biodiversity protection and sustainable use of natural resources, minimising climate change vulnerability, and increasing sustainable agriculture and rural development

India’s and the World’s Agricultural Heritage:

List of Global Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Sites in India:

1. Koraput, Odisha State

Reason for Recognition as GIAHS Sites:

• Biodiversity is abundant in this area.
• Crops like paddy, millets, pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables grow best in this region.
• Biodiversity is being lost as a result of shifting cultivation and deforestation.
• The burden of a big family on a limited farm holding is compounded by illiteracy.
• A quarter of the population lives in extreme poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury.

2. Kashmir Valley, Pampore region

Reason for Recognition as GIAHS Sites:

• Biodiversity is abundant in this area.
• Crops like paddy, millets, pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables grow best in this region.
• Biodiversity is being lost as a result of shifting cultivation and deforestation.
• The burden of a big family on a limited farm holding is compounded by illiteracy.
• A quarter of the population lives in extreme poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury.

3. Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System, Kerala

Reason for Recognition as GIAHS Sites:

• It is a 900-square-kilometre delta region on Kerala’s west coast.
• Rice is only grown below sea level in a few spots in India (backwater paddy cultivation) (Kayal cultivation).
• People have developed a unique system of agricultural techniques that have contributed to biodiversity protection and ecosystem services, as well as various livelihood benefits for local populations.

Conclusion:

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) established the Global Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) to raise public awareness and protect the world’s agricultural heritage sites. Koraput, Odisha State; Kashmir Valley, Pampore region; and Kuttanad are the three regions of India that have been designated as Global Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) cities.