Home-grown heritage
China’s long history of eco-friendly farming culture underpins role as global expert
As an early participant and firm supporter of global agricultural heritage systems, China — with its long history of creating eco-friendly farming models — has played a leading role in offering scientific and technological evaluation of such heritage, according to an expert.
“Modern farmers should not only consider improving chemical fertilizers, pesticides and equipment, but also consider adapting to climate change and determining how to meet the various needs of consumers,” said Min Qingwen, a national political adviser and professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research.
“Over the past 1,300 years, the Chinese people have created environment-friendly agricultural models that combine planting and aquaculture,” said Min, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body.
China is home to 19 Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) sites, which are agroecosystems inhabited by communities that have an intricate relationship with their land, according to the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
These evolving sites are resilient systems characterized by remarkable agro-biodiversity, traditional knowledge, invaluable cultures and landscapes. They are sustainably managed by farmers, herders and forest workers
in ways that contribute to their livelihoods and food security.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has identified 138 Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems sites.
These sites, including the rice-fish co-culture system in Qingtian, Zhejiang
province, and the Honghe Hani rice terraces in Yunnan province, are distributed in 13 provincial-level regions. In 2005, the Qingtian ricefish co-culture system became the world’s first GIAHS site.
As a new type of heritage, agricultural heritage not only has important historical value, but also promotes the sustainable development of agriculture in rural areas, Min said.
“The Qingtian rice-fish co-culture system ensures food security, boosts income, prevents malaria by reducing the number of mosquitoes, and conserves biodiversity by reducing the use of pesticides,” he said. “The people there use rice fields to raise fish that in turn promote rice growth. The combination greatly reduces chemical fertilizers and pesticides.”
Such heritage also promotes leisure agriculture and rural tourism so that farmers are more willing to preserve it, he added.
With its agricultural heritage brand, millet from Aohan Banner in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has gained a better reputation and more popularity, bringing in more income for farmers, he said.
“China has a long history of farming culture, and its people have created a large number of agricultural models. The nation is willing to share its wisdom,” Min said. “China has also exported important species, technologies and cultures to other countries.”
In 1998, the Chinese government donated a pair of crested ibis to Sado’s Satoyama in harmony with the Japanese crested ibis site, one of the first two GIAHS sites in Japan.
China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has organized more than 10 international training courses, and Chinese scientists have shared the country’s GIAHS research results and conservation experience.
In 2013, Min initiated the East Asia Research Association for Agricultural Heritage Systems, aiming to share research results and conservation experiences among China, Japan and South Korea.
“We plan to expand the exchange and collaboration platform to countries in South and Southeast Asia,” he said.