The nature-positive global goal was proposed by 14 of the world’s largest environmental organizations in 2020 to halt and reverse the destruction of nature by 2030, with a full recovery of a resilient biosphere by 2050. Through agroecological, traditional, and indigenous practices and governance, nature-positive food systems are expected to curb the land degradation, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss caused by agriculture and thus maintain the sustainability of food systems. However, there are few roadmaps for how to systemically transform food systems to align with nature-positive goals and little documentation of the benefits of such transformations.
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) may provide one such roadmap. Initiated by the FAO in 2002, GIAHS are defined as remarkable farming systems and landscapes rich in globally significant biological diversity, which have evolved from the co-adaptation of a rural community with its environment and its needs and aspirations for sustainable development. According to the criteria, GIAHS produce food and conserve biodiversity, along with other ecosystem services, and preserve cultural heritages and their centuries-old wisdom. As a result of their multifunctionality, GIAHS are expected to play a critical role in the systemic change to nature positive food systems. However, how and in what ways GIAHS can inform broader food systems transitions has not yet been fully elaborated.
This Research Topic focuses on how GIAHS can contribute to the transformation of current food systems into nature-positive food systems. High-quality and original contributions that elaborate how GIAHS can aid the transition of food systems are welcome, including the internal and external mechanisms for sustainability, the social, economic, and ecological benefits, and the constraints, and opportunities. Since GIAHS are increasingly challenged by climate change, modernization, and urbanization, interdisciplinary studies that evaluate how policy and market instruments can strengthen the governance of GIAHS and their ability to provide effective solutions are also welcome. The comparisons of different policies in different countries are also important, highlighting how other countries strengthen and support GIAHS. We welcome, but are not limited to, articles on the following themes:
- Methodologies to measure the structures and functions of GIAHS as agroecosystems and cultural landscapes
- Contributions of GIAHS to preventing land degradation, curbing biodiversity loss, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Approaches to realizing sustainable livelihoods in GIAHS sites, especially in terms of eco-product supply and sustainable tourism
- Community participation and traditional ecological knowledge in GIAHS sites
- Policy and market strategies to enhance GIAHS conservation and their role in the transformation of food systems
- Progress of GIAHS monitoring and evaluation in different countries
The nature-positive global goal was proposed by 14 of the world’s largest environmental organizations in 2020 to halt and reverse the destruction of nature by 2030, with a full recovery of a resilient biosphere by 2050. Through agroecological, traditional, and indigenous practices and governance, nature-positive food systems are expected to curb the land degradation, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss caused by agriculture and thus maintain the sustainability of food systems. However, there are few roadmaps for how to systemically transform food systems to align with nature-positive goals and little documentation of the benefits of such transformations.
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) may provide one such roadmap. Initiated by the FAO in 2002, GIAHS are defined as remarkable farming systems and landscapes rich in globally significant biological diversity, which have evolved from the co-adaptation of a rural community with its environment and its needs and aspirations for sustainable development. According to the criteria, GIAHS produce food and conserve biodiversity, along with other ecosystem services, and preserve cultural heritages and their centuries-old wisdom. As a result of their multifunctionality, GIAHS are expected to play a critical role in the systemic change to nature positive food systems. However, how and in what ways GIAHS can inform broader food systems transitions has not yet been fully elaborated.
This Research Topic focuses on how GIAHS can contribute to the transformation of current food systems into nature-positive food systems. High-quality and original contributions that elaborate how GIAHS can aid the transition of food systems are welcome, including the internal and external mechanisms for sustainability, the social, economic, and ecological benefits, and the constraints, and opportunities. Since GIAHS are increasingly challenged by climate change, modernization, and urbanization, interdisciplinary studies that evaluate how policy and market instruments can strengthen the governance of GIAHS and their ability to provide effective solutions are also welcome. The comparisons of different policies in different countries are also important, highlighting how other countries strengthen and support GIAHS. We welcome, but are not limited to, articles on the following themes:
- Methodologies to measure the structures and functions of GIAHS as agroecosystems and cultural landscapes
- Contributions of GIAHS to preventing land degradation, curbing biodiversity loss, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Approaches to realizing sustainable livelihoods in GIAHS sites, especially in terms of eco-product supply and sustainable tourism
- Community participation and traditional ecological knowledge in GIAHS sites
- Policy and market strategies to enhance GIAHS conservation and their role in the transformation of food systems
- Progress of GIAHS monitoring and evaluation in different countries