Agri-cultural heritage: A bridge between past and the future

In response to the loss of agricultural biodiversity, food and livelihood security, traditional farming techniques, and rural culture, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization launched the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems initiative in 2002. On the 20th anniversary of the initiative, to systematically understand the core values and practical significance of agri-cultural heritage and scientifically analyze the problems and prospects of agri-cultural heritage conservation, this article used“question and answer （Q\&A）”to obtain a panoramic view of agri-cultural heritage from the host and eleven academic interviewees based on different perspectives. Experts expressed their opinions on a range of relationships between agri-cultural heritage and ecological agriculture, agricultural and intangible cultural heritage, historical and cultural value of agri-culture, the practical significance of agri-cultural heritage conservation and food security, agricultural biodiversity conservation, rural revitalization, implementation of international conventions, and theoretical thinking and practical exploration of the dynamic conservation of agri-cultural heritage in China. The interview results showed that these agricultural heritage systems with living, dynamic, and systemic characteristics contain rich agricultural biodiversity, ecological agricultural technologies, traditional farming culture, and the reasonable structure of the ecological landscape are significant, when dealing with eco-environmental problems brought by industrialization and urbanization, in the promotion of sustainable agricultural development and rural revitalization. As a special type of heritage, agri-cultural heritage conservation needs to be based on a new paradigm while emphasizing the leading role of governments. In addition, it needs to establish policy incentives, industry integration development, and multi-participation and benefit sharing mechanisms to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of local farmers.