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 102 systems in 29 countries.
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FAO honours 28 Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems across 14 countries
31/10/2025
Award Ceremony celebrates communities preserving traditional knowledge, biodiversity and resilience for a food secure future.
News
Agricultural heritage systems showcased at FAO’s first Global Exhibition: From Seeds to Foods
03/10/2025
At the First FAO Global Exhibition: From Seeds to Foods, GIAHS will take centre stage through live cooking shows, tastings and cultural displays. The...
News
Agricultural Heritage Cultivates a Sustainable Future
14/10/2025
By Jeremie Mbairamadji, China Report ASEAN
Celebrating over 100 GIAHS sites, agricultural heritage demonstrates how centuries of...
Discover the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
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Video
From ash to harvest: Lanzarote’s journey of living heritage, Spain
21/05/2025
On the arid island of Lanzarote, farmers have developed a unique system using volcanic lapilli and sea sand to trap moisture and protect the soil. Grapes,...
Photo gallery
Photos
Flickr Album: Shade-grown Erva-mate: a traditional agroforestry system in the Araucaria Forest of Parana
16/05/2025
By integrating food crops, native fruits, and forest products, the system strengthens biodiversity, food sovereignty, and cultural identity, while helping...
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.