Table of Contents

Foreword José Graziano da Silva Foreword M.S. Swaminathan 1. Past, Present and the Future of Agriculture 2. Agricultural Heritage and Sustainable Food Systems 3. A View to Protecting and Safeguarding our Heritage 4. Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems: Concept and the Initiative 5. Dynamic Conservation of GIAHS 6. Lessons Learned, Experiences and Impacts 7. GIAHS are Around Us: Sites and Systems of Interest 8. Final Reflection and Key Messages

About the Author

Parviz Koohafkan is Chairman of the World Agricultural Heritage Foundation (WAHF) and Senior Honorary Research Fellow at Bioversity International, Rome, Italy. He retired as Director of the Land and Water Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome, Italy, in 2012, where he conceptualized and spearheaded the GIAHS concept and Partnership Initiative.

Miguel Altieri is Professor of Agroecology in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Reviews

"This publication is unique both in its scope and coverage. It is a stock-take of the work carried out so far, in cooperation with several governments, donor institutions, FAO and other UN agencies, international organizations, non-governmental institutions, civil society organizations, academic and research institutions and many individuals. This informed source should serve as a new reference tool for all who share the common goal of contributing to solutions for sustainable agriculture and rural development." – from the foreword by José Graziano da Silva, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Italy. "I must congratulate the authors for writing a book that does not mince words when conveying the urgency inherent in solving the world’s current crises and fully articulates how reclaiming our agricultural heritage – neglected or forgotten in many parts of the world but not beyond recovery – can usher in a new era of sustainable development." – from the foreword by M.S. Swaminathan, Founder, Chairman and Chief Mentor, UNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India."This book contains a valuable and unique synthesis of traditional agricultural systems. It should be an important text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in agriculture, development and international politics." - A M Mannion in British Ecological Society Bulletin (December 2017).