The World Conference on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) was held in Qingtian, Zhejiang Province from July 17 to 19, 2022.

Professor Li Xiande was invited to the conference and gave a presentation entitled “Rural Revitalization and Income Generation in Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) sites”. Professor Li stressed that GIAHS sites can contribute to rural revitalization in various ways. In particular, GIAHS can diversify and increase local people’s income via resource development, enhance rural employment via the extension of industrial value chain, and add the value of agricultural products via brand innovation.

As the Vice Chairman of the GIAHS Scientific Advisory Group, Professor Li Xiande played an important role in the application process of three newly recognized GIAHS sites in China, namely Anxi Tieguanyin Tea Culture System in Fujian, Ar Horqin Grassland Nomadic System in Inner Mongolia, and Shexian county Dryland Stone Terraced System in Hebei. The three sites were officiallydesignated by FAO on May 20, bringing the country’s total number of GIAHS sites to 18, ranking first in the world.

The GIAHS Conference was co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and the government of Zhejiang Province, with the theme of "Agricultural Heritage for Rural Prosperity". Experts were invited to jointly discuss important issues of GIAHS, such as its relationship with Sustainable Rural Development, Food System Resilience, and Farmer Livelihood Improvement. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the conference, which hit the headline of CCTV. The conference was the largest, highest-level and most influential conference organized among the past 20 years. The conference was held both online and in-site, with representatives from 24 countries and 7 international organizations participated in the conference.

By Li Xiande (gjmy6160@caas.cn) and Qian Chen (qianchen@caas.cn)