The first World Conference on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems was successfully held in Qingtian county, Zhejiang province, on July 18. Presently, there are 65 systems in 22 countries identified as GIAHS by FAO. Eighteen of these sites, including one for rice-fish farming in Qingtian, are in China.

Carlos Watson, the representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in China, shared his opinions on agricultural heritage protection in an interview with China Daily at the conference.

China Daily:

How should we ensure food security while maintaining ecologically sustainable development today?

Carlos Watson:

This is the key question because that's exactly what we're all trying to do. The resources are limited while the population keeps growing. We are going probably to reach the peak in a few decades, so we have to produce better. We have to improve everything that has to do with agri-food systems and have to use all methods available. I think GIAHS provides some of that because they have ecologically friendly methods that are sustainable. What we have to do is to try to project these systems into the future by adding innovative technology to make them even more attractive.

If we put all instruments that we have available, like the traditional system and the GIAHS, together with innovation, I think we could have a winning symbiosis.

China Daily:

Many types of technology have been applied in the agriculture sector, but there are still many people doing things the traditional way. How can we integrate innovative technology into traditional agriculture?

Carlos Watson:

This is the next step that should be happening and has started to happen. Just imagine this traditional system that used very traditional methods, which in many cases are very empirical - we don't know exactly the amount of feed that the fish are receiving or the number of fertilizers they have. However, all these can be monitored through technology, even with a simple phone or drone. Therefore, without affecting the heritage system itself, we can improve the yield of both rice and fish. All the sites and all the systems that we have certified in China have the potential.

I think that's the way to go. We need to combine what we already have with new methods without affecting the heritage and the system itself. It’s about creating a spinoff of existing systems using modern technology and innovation.

China Daily:

What do you make of China's agriculture heritage protection?

Carlos Watson:

China has the ability to recognize initiatives that are beneficial. They have recognized early in the game that the GIAHS initiative is a very beneficial initiative, not only to preserve agricultural heritage, but also as a means of providing a better life for the farmers and for the people involved. The sites and the numbers that have come out of these studies from GIAHS sites in China are a clear demonstration that it is happening.

China Daily:

What do you think are the advantages of China's agriculture heritage protection? Is the method worth promoting on the world stage?

Carlos Watson:

China is one of the oldest civilizations and agriculture has been at the heart of that development. There are, for sure, things that have been learned throughout the millenniums. But in many cases with development, there is a risk that many of these practices are lost.

With such initiatives, we are recovering, preserving and launching ourselves into the future. China has well understood that as they are actually preparing for more in the sense. They have identified many other sites that are good candidates for GIAHS. They will probably soon start the process of certification this means more opportunities for sustainable development, not only for the target population on the GIAHS side, but also to attract new participants, and new practitioners to these practices.

We saw one example today of a person [who gave a speech at the conference] who actually left the country and came back when he saw the success of rice-fish farming. Now he's doing it. This is exactly what we're trying to do as one of the objectives of preserving this heritage. It's an intangible treasure.