Agricultural and Rural Economics

Agricultural and Rural Economics

The Contribution of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in Achieving Rural Development Goals

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shohreh Soltani 1
Ali Kiani Rad 2
1 Corresponding Author and Assistant Professor, Agricultural Planning, Economics and Rural Development Research Institute (APERDRI), Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor and Head of Agricultural Planning, Economics and Rural Development Research Institute (APERDRI), Tehran, Iran.
10.30490/etr.2024.130670
Abstract
The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Organization (FAO) emphasizes the importance of traditional agriculture in preserving the ecosystem, traditional knowledge, long-lasting cultural values, historical heritage and the natural landscape of the region as well as the maintenance of environmentally friendly systems. In this article, the concept of world important agricultural heritage system was presented and its benefits and contribution in achieving the goals of rural development were investigated by systematic review of case studies by the use of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. Considering the merely twenty years of the GIAHS initiation, there are not many studies in this regard. In this research, by reviewing 31 articles from reliable sources, 18 articles related to the role of GIAHS in the rural development were discussed and analyzed. The results showed that the designation of agricultural heritage systems in 6 areas including maintaining household food security, biological diversity, local culture of the community, compatibility and sustainability of communities, attracting community participation and reducing migration might be Known as effective areas. Therefore, some suggestions were made to increase the effects of GIAHS designation on the rural development, one of the most important of which included the use of internal and external experiences to play the real role of local communities and their organizations in the preservation of agricultural heritage systems.
Keywords
Traditional Agriculture
Rural Development
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
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