The thematic forum on agriculture of the Eco Forum Global Annual Conference 2021 was held in Guiyang, Guizhou Province on 13 July. During the forum, the Center of International Cooperation Service (CICOS) of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations China Representative Office (FAO China) jointly released the Research Report on Poverty Reduction and Income Increase from Dynamic Conservation of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in China.

For centuries, farmers, herders, fishers and foresters have developed diverse and locally adapted agricultural systems managed with timetested, ingenious techniques. These practices have resulted in a vital combination of social, cultural, ecological and economic services to humankind. These GIAHS are outstanding landscapes of aesthetic beauty that combine agricultural biodiversity, resilient ecosystems and a valuable cultural heritage. Located in specific sites around the world, they sustainably provide multiple goods and services, food and livelihood security for millions of small-scale farmers. As of now, there are 62 FAO-designated GIAHS around the world, 15 of which are located in China.

According to Carlos Watson, FAO representative to China, in 2002, in recognition of the global threats to family farming and traditional agricultural systems, FAO launched the GIAHS Programme. "China is the country with the largest number of GIAHS in the world, and it has achieved many valuable results in poverty reduction and income increase for farmers through GIAHS. I hope that China can share these experiences with other countries in the future," said Carlos.

Xu Ming, Deputy Director of CICOS, introduced the development of GIAHS in China, reviewed the concrete achievements of boosting poverty alleviation and farmers' income through GIAHS conservation, and shared some cases on rural revitalization, sustainable agricultural development, and innovative improvement for smallholder farmers' livelihoods.

According to the research report, China’s 15 GIAHS span 18 counties / cities / districts of 13 provinces in eastern, central and western China, covering 312,000 farming households with 913,000 farmers in the core areas. 60 percent of China’s GIAHS sites were challenged by poverty, as most of them are located in remote areas. Focusing on the conservation of GIAHS, local governments have lifted local farmers out of poverty and increased farmers' income by strengthening policy support, expanding brand influence, exploring the potential of agricultural versatility in heritage sites, enhancing the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries, as well as connecting stakeholders. After being recognized as GIAHS by FAO, its brand value has increased gradually, which attracted a large number of young people to return for work and brought fresh energy for the economic and cultural development in GIAHS sites.

At the forum, other achievements of China’s agricultural green development were also summarized or released, including the FAO Chinese Publishing Programme (CPP) and the newly approved FAO-Global Environment Facility (GEF) “Innovative Transformation of China’s Food Production Systems and Agro-ecological Landscapes towards Sustainability” project.

• The FAO CPP is jointly implemented by FAO and MARA, aiming to support the Chinese translation and publication of FAO's agricultural knowledge and information products, and promote its sharing and dissemination in China. Launched in 1987, CPP has been implemented for over 30 years. More than 600 FAO publications, covering various agricultural topics, have been translated and published through CPP.
• The FAO-GEF project entitled “Innovative Transformation of China’s Food Production Systems and Agro-ecological Landscapes towards Sustainability” aims to achieve improved practices in 450,000 ha and restore 80,000 ha of ecosystems in agricultural landscapes in Shandong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Guizhou Provinces, with a focus on the major staple crops of rice, wheat and maize.

Nearly 300 people attended the thematic forum, including representatives from international organizations, MARA, Guizhou Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, research organizations, GIAHS sites, and diplomats from embassies.

*Download the research report:

• English version
• Chinese version