The Significance of Traditional Culture for Agricultural Biodiversity—Experiences from GIAHS

doi:10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2021.04.003

Abstract

Abstract:

Agricultural biodiversity has a high importance in social-cultural, economic, and environmental aspects, and can help in adapting to and withstanding climate change. Conserving the GIAHS sites and the important components within them can help conserve the agricultural biodiversity and traditional agricultural culture of the whole country. This study considered Ifugao Rice Terraces, Dong’s Rice-Fish-Duck System, and Hani Rice Terraces System as three examples which show that traditional culture can be used to protect agricultural biodiversity, while as a carrier of traditional culture, agricultural biodiversity also conveys and protects the traditional culture of the nation. According to the analyses, through several years of efforts, the status of agricultural biodiversity and traditional culture in them has improved. Then, to further promote agricultural biodiversity conservation and traditional culture protection, several suggestions are made, such as establishing community seed banks; documenting and preserving traditional farming methods, techniques, and tools and developing participatory activities which encourage more farmers to participate in the protection work.

Key words: agricultural biodiversity, traditional culture, Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), rice terraces, traditional variety

MA Nan, YANG Lun, MIN Qingwen, BAI Keyu, LI Wenhua. The Significance of Traditional Culture for Agricultural Biodiversity—Experiences from GIAHS[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2021, 12(4): 453-461.

Figures/Tables 3

References 44

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GIAHS site	Ifugao Rice Terraces	Dong’s Rice-Fish-Duck System	Hani Rice Terraces System
Location	Central Cordillera Region, Northern Philippines	Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China	Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China
Basic features	The system is considered as evolved living cultural landscapes, which were painstakingly ‘carved’ on hill and mountain slopes by the ancient Ifugaos (Acabado, 2012). It was designated as a GIAHS site in 2011 and as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996	The system consists of a unique ecological symbiosis, which means fish provide fertilizer to rice, regulate micro-climatic conditions, soften the soil, disturb the water, and eat larvae and weeds in the flooded fields; while rice offers shade and food for the fish. It was designated as a GIAHS site in 2011	This system forms a unique landscape: Hani villages are built on the mountain sides, above the village are the flourishing forests, and the terraces are just below the villages. It was designated as a GIAHS site in 2010

GIAHS site	Ifugao Rice Terraces	Dong’s Rice-Fish-Duck System	Hani Rice Terraces System
Location	Central Cordillera Region, Northern Philippines	Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China	Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China
Basic features	The system is considered as evolved living cultural landscapes, which were painstakingly ‘carved’ on hill and mountain slopes by the ancient Ifugaos (Acabado, 2012). It was designated as a GIAHS site in 2011 and as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996	The system consists of a unique ecological symbiosis, which means fish provide fertilizer to rice, regulate micro-climatic conditions, soften the soil, disturb the water, and eat larvae and weeds in the flooded fields; while rice offers shade and food for the fish. It was designated as a GIAHS site in 2011	This system forms a unique landscape: Hani villages are built on the mountain sides, above the village are the flourishing forests, and the terraces are just below the villages. It was designated as a GIAHS site in 2010