Page 27 - Vol.39-No.5

SEEDS & PLANTSTOCK

A SHARED PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE IN THE GLOBALLY

IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE SYSTEMS

If you set out to design a strategy for greater resilience and environmental, social animal breeds adapted to different local
preserving some of our most vital but also and economic sustainability. conditions. Relying on indigenous breeds
fragile agriculture and food systems into of sheep, such as D’man, which are small
the future, the chances are you might come in size and suited to the environment, the
up with something very like the Globally pastoralists follow a highly mobile lifestyle,
Important Agricultural Heritage Systems going wherever there is food to be found
(GIAHS) programme, created by the Food for the animals of the desert.
and Agriculture Organization of the Unit- For the nomads of the oasis of Figuig, the
ed Nations (FAO). These unique locations products of their animals, including meat,
uphold important human traditions of wool, hides and horns, form the backbone
sustainability and living in harmony with of their livelihoods. Amid the harsh desert
animals and nature. climatic conditions, farmers store up these
Healthy and vibrant ecosystems, includ- products in years of abundance.
ing the plants and animals with which we
live, are vital for our daily lives and needs The Thale Noi Wetland The Amazonian Chakra in Ecuador
such as water, food, medicines, shelter Buffalo Pastoral Agro-eco- The traditional agroforestry system, also
and energy. The FAO-designated GIAHS system in Thailand called the chakra system, of the Amazon
are places where such co-existence has region is optimally positioned for the con-
endured and prospered over centuries or The buffalo has a letter of the Thai script servation of biodiversity. The system is
even millennia. named after it and countless lyrics and cer- defined by the interdependence of the
emonies praising it, such is its importance environment with its human communities,
Let’s look at a few of the recently des- in the country’s rural traditions. So it’s not
ignated GIAHS where humans and animals surprising that the animal should play a who embrace everything from reptiles, am-
coexist and thrive together: phibians, birds, fauna and invertebrates.
central role in Thailand’s first designated
GIAHS. Livestock rearing and hunting are an in-
tegral part of the lives of the Kichwa and Ki-
Buffalo pastoralism is central to the jus communities who populate this chakra.
livelihoods of the communities living and The belief system of these populations
working in the vast wetland area in south- revolves around the intimate connection
ern Thailand. It has contributed, over the between the worlds of humans, spirits and
centuries, to shaping ecosystems and animals and the air, soil and water. Humans
conserving biodiversity. Buffalo trampling and other beings exist together at close
continuously changes the topography of quarters.
local landscape, creating waterways, canals,
trails, wallows and depressions throughout
The agro-silvo-pastoral system the wetlands, providing protective hab-
of the mountains in Leon, Spain itats for nesting birds and animal feed-
In this region rich in biodiversity but poor ing grounds. Buffalo-created waterways
also act as an effective natural barrier to
and difficult in terms of opportunities to fires during the dry season, minimizing
cultivate food, livestock form a key strand the amount of carbon emitted by peat
of local communities’ livelihoods. What sets swamp fires.
these cattle, goats, sheep and horses apart
are their unique indigenous breeds. In the Buffaloes also provide meat and milk
villages throughout the mountain range, products for humans, while their dung
traditional livestock fairs provide venues serves as fertilizer for soil and even as food
for trading not just in animals but also in for fish, which in turn provide nourishment At different times of the year, the com-
traditional knowledge. for birds. munities seek out whatever foods are avail-
The sustainable livestock farming prac- The Figuig Ksour- Oasis in Morocco able, whether they be fish from the river,
tised here contributes to a respectful in- crops from the chakra or fruits and meat
teraction with the environment and higher The inhabitants of this oasis in eastern from hunting, keeping a balance between
quality in the array of produce from the Morocco practice two types of livestock food sources and reducing pressure on any
region. The tradition of transhumance, or farming, either rearing their animals within one ecosystem.
seasonal movement of livestock over an their homes and surrounding palm groves As we can see from all these commu-
extensive area, also plays an important or alternatively, contracting their livestock nities, the interaction between humans
role in seed dispersal and fertilisation of out to nearby nomad associations to look and animals is key to maintaining food and
fields, thus favouring genetic heritage and after them together with the pastoralists’ livelihood security. It’s also crucial for the
biodiversity. own animals. resilience of biodiverse ecosystems. The
Farmers have made use of natural bio- GIAHS programme supports global efforts
The landscape biodiversity, with a mo- diversity and, based on an empirical selec-
saic structure in which each family unit to preserve our planet's biodiversity and
combines forestry, livestock and agricul- tion of plants and animals over thousands the remarkable agrifood systems that pro-
tural activities simultaneously, makes for of years, have produced seed varieties or mote sustainability.
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