Tourism Potential of Agricultural Heritage Systems

Abstract

Traditional agricultural systems are threatened world-wide mainly due to the introduction of modern agricultural techniques and the emigration of farm labourers from remote rural villages. The objective of the programme 'Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems' (GIAHS), initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2002, is dynamic conservation of traditional agricultural systems. This article addresses the definition and content of agricultural heritage systems and discusses conservation options in the light of developing rural tourism. An explorative survey was conducted in Longxian village, situated in Zhejiang Province, southern China, focusing on the tourism potential of a typical Rice-Fish Agricultural System. The identification of heritage resources is a first step in the process of transforming an agricultural landscape into a cultural tourism landscape.However, the future of these landscapes is in the hands of a range of stakeholders and depends on their capacity to manage, in a sustainable way, tourism development strategies alongside conservation policies.

A Community Livelihood Approach to Agricultural Heritage System Conservation and Tourism Development: Xuanhua Grape Garden Urban Agricultural Heritage Site, Hebei Province of China

“…Moreover, rural tourism based on the value of agricultural systems and supported by the hosting community has been considered as an effective development initiative for many GIAHS sites [6][7][8][9].Tourism has demonstrated its ability to generate positive effects on the dynamic conservation of agricultural systems and the sustainable development of the hosting community through raising public awareness, increasing the economic value of agricultural products, enriching community livelihoods, and promoting economic development of the area [3,[10][11][12][13]. For example, various studies on the traditional rice-fish system at Qingtian in Zhejiang province of China demonstrated the impacts of tourism on increasing the price of agricultural products and enhancing the recognition of the value of traditional agricultural systems; hence, conservation of the traditional rice-fish system is further promoted [3,6,10].…”

A Conservation Approach of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS): Improving Traditional Agricultural Patterns and Promoting Scale-Production

“…Therefore, many conservation mechanisms that improve the income of farmers using resource advantages in GIAHS sites were put forward by researchers. Tian et al [24] and Sun et al [25] thought that Agricultural Heritage System Tourism (AHST) could diversify the channels of income through providing more job opportunities for farmers in GIAHS sites. Zhang et al [26] considered that raising the prices of agricultural products by developing organic production can also improve the earnings of local farmers.…”

Greenway Implementation Influence on Agricultural Heritage Sites (AHS): The Case of Liantang Village of Zengcheng District, Guangzhou City, China

“…Agricultural heritages are a unique tourism resource with great economic potential. Sustainable tourism can in turn effectively protect the local heritage with appropriate development [14][15][16]. Eco-and agro-tourism have been proven to be viable means of maintaining biological diversity, supporting local communities and cultural heritage, and improving income and well-being [17][18][19][20].…”