Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)

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Cultivating a better tomorrow — a journey through our agricultural heritage

The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) are living heritage systems inhabited by communities that maintain an intricate relationship with their territory. These evolving and resilient systems are characterized by remarkable agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge, invaluable cultures, and landscapes, sustainably managed by farmers, herders, fisherfolk, and forest people in ways that support their livelihoods and food security. Through the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has designated 104 systems in 29 countries.

Latest
News
FAO and China drive global cooperation on agricultural heritage
24/03/2026

Promoting traditional knowledge strengthening resilience, food diversity and biodiversity, and supporting rural development and livelihoods.

News
Launch of new SIDS and GIAHS initiatives mark milestone in FAO’s partnership with China
26/03/2026

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu launched two important initiatives during his official visit to China, both of which mark an important step forward in...

News
Why agricultural heritage systems matter for biodiversity and climate resilience
31/03/2026

What if the key to feeding future generations isn’t hidden in new technology but preserved in the world’s agricultural heritage systems? Agricultural...

Stories
Discover the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
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Video
More than 100 agricultural treasures: GIAHS Award Ceremony and Exhibition
19/03/2026

The 2025 GIAHS Award Ceremony took place on 31 October at FAO headquarters in Rome, within the celebrations of FAO’s 80th Anniversary. The event celebrated...

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Publications
Publication
Twenty years of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

Success stories of dynamic conservation for sustainable rural development.

Publication
Guidelines for making a GIAHS Proposal document

Best practices for developing successful agricultural heritage applications.

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