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Addressee: Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
Full Text
The Forum encourages the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to recognize the importance of and emphasize support for indigenous agricultural systems, including forestry, shifting cultivation, fisheries, livestock, pastoralism and hunting-gathering systems, and their associated biodiversity, foods, knowledge systems and cultures. It encourages FAO to promote the responsible use of culturally appropriate agricultural inputs and technology so as to protect the traditional livelihoods of indigenous peoples
Responses
Traditional knowledge in argiculture and food security has become an important working area of FAO. FAO in collaboration with UNDP, GEF and UNESCO is undertaking an initiative aimed at the global recognition, conservation and sustainable management of the world's outstanding indigenous and traditional agricultural systems and their associate landscapes, biodiversity, knowledge systems, and cultures. This inter-agency initiative is the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) and involes intervention at the global, national and site level. At the global level the project will facilitate recognition of the concept of GIAHS, at the national level in pilot countries, the project will ensure mainstreaming of the GIAHS concept, and at the site-level in pilot countries, the project will address conservation and adaptive management at the community level. The project will be implemented in five pilot systems represented by 12 pilot sites in 7 countries: Chile, China, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Peru and the Philippines. Presently GIAHS is working in the Chihole Island in Chile, with the Huilliche community. In the Peruvian Andes with the Aymara and Quechua communities. In the Philippines with the Ifugao community and in the Amasigh (Berber) communities of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
During 2005 World Food Day, the important contribution of indigenous peoples to food production and the sustainable management of agricultural ecosystems was highlighted with a specific roundtable involving the participation of indigenous peoples.
Final Report of UNPFII Session 4 (2005)
Area of Work
