HUNAN CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE

Ziquejie Terraces in Loudi, Hunan

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- More than 300 policymakers, researchers and industry leaders gathered at the opening of the fourth "From Ziquejie Terraces To The World" Global Farming Culture Exchange and Mutual Learning Conference in Loudi, Hunan, recently.

Held alongside the 10th East Asian Agricultural Cultural Heritage Symposium, the conference featured keynote addresses exploring how cutting-edge innovation can breathe new life into centuries-old farming traditions.

Attendees included representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, delegates from Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) sites worldwide, and leading scholars from universities, as well as representatives from civil society groups and private enterprises.

Featured speakers included Senior Coordinator of the GIAHS Secretariat at FAO, ‌Jérémy Mbiaramadji‌; ‌Project Professor at the University of Tokyo's Institute for Future Initiatives and Honorary Chairman of the East Asian Agricultural Heritage Studies Association, Kazuhiko Takeuchi‌; and Professor at Pusan National University and Co-Chairman of the East Asian Agricultural Heritage Studies Association, Lee Youn-Jae‌.

According to a statement, their presentations spanned biodiversity conservation, the role of heritage sites in rural revitalisation, and emerging models for integrating agriculture, culture and tourism, all grounded in the latest research and real-world case studies from across East Asia.

The Ziquejie Terraces, carved into the mountainside over two millennia ago, stand as a living monument to the fusion of southern China's rice-farming civilisation with the mountain hunting and fishing traditions of the Miao and Yao peoples.

The terraces are recognised as one of China’s first World Heritage Irrigation Structures and a GIAHS-listed site and continue to sustain local communities today.

In recent years, Loudi City has deployed Internet of Things sensors, big data analytics and virtual reality to monitor and preserve the landscape. Innovative programmes have also turned heritage conservation into a driver of economic opportunity, connecting local villages with global audiences seeking to learn from millennia of sustainable farming wisdom.

-- BERNAMA