GIAHS Full Form

What is the full form of GIAHS?

GIAHS full form is Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. GIAHS is a program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), established in 2002 as an initiative of the United Nations Partnership for Sustainable Development. It aims to identify, support, and protect globally important systems of agricultural heritage and livelihoods, agriculture and related biodiversity, and knowledge about systems, cultures, and landscapes around the world. The GIAHS facility is not a living museum but a place where people practice "dynamic conservation". They preserve the best of the past to build a sustainable future.

This Story also Contains

1. What is the full form of GIAHS?
2. A brief background of GIAHS:
3. Objectives of GIAHS:
4. List of GIAHS sites in India:

A brief background of GIAHS:

• Globally Important Agricultural Historic Systems are different from traditional heritage sites and protected areas/landscapes in that they are more complicated. These breathtaking landscapes combine agricultural biodiversity, sustainable ecosystems, and historically significant cultural heritage.

• Since 2005, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has classified 62 islands in 22 countries as Agricultural Historic Sites, and as of June 2021, 15 new applications from 9 countries have been received.

• These ancestral agricultural systems provide the basis for future agricultural developments and technologies. Their cultural, ecological, and agricultural diversity can be found in many parts of the world and maintain unique agricultural systems.

Objectives of GIAHS:

• Increase global and national awareness of the relevance of agricultural heritage systems and institutional support for their preservation.

• Governments, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), FAO governing bodies, World Heritage Centers, and other partners can help achieve global recognition.

• Building the capacity of local agricultural communities and regional and national organisations to preserve and manage GIAHS, generate income, and add economic value to the goods and services of such systems in a sustainable manner.

• Promote favourable regulatory policies and incentive systems to promote conservation, evolutionary adaptation, and viability of GIAHS.

• Evaluation of existing policies and incentive mechanisms and the development of modalities for promoting sustainable farming practices.

• Increasing community benefits from resource protection and sustainable use.

List of GIAHS sites in India:

1. Koraput, Odisha State

2. Kashmir Valley, Pampore region

3. Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System, Kerala