TY - JOUR AU - Á.R. Ruiz Pulpón AU - M.D.C. Cañizares Ruiz AU - H.S. Martínez Sánchez-Mateos AB - Agriculture is an important economic activity across much of the Western world. Beyond its productive purpose, we can also identify a cultural function that is expressed in the existence of a rich heritage associated with the interactions between nature and humans over time. This heritage includes tangible and intangible assets, the latter including traditional knowledge, history, knowledge of natural cycles, and the identification of the local population with its landscapes; in short, resources are understood as a legacy that needs to be reappraised and passed on to future generations. Saffron cultivation is an example of an agricultural landscape with significant intangible heritage values associated with the know-how and the family-run nature of the farms. The resources linked to saffron cultivation in the region of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) are described in this paper, with an emphasis on how local communities perceive them as an integral part of their geographical identity. The results, following in-depth interviews with different local actors, demonstrate the potential for the intangible values associated with saffron to drive local development in many rural areas once they have been reappraised and classified as assets for attracting tourism. DO - 10.3390/heritage6030129 M1 - 3 N2 - Agriculture is an important economic activity across much of the Western world. Beyond its productive purpose, we can also identify a cultural function that is expressed in the existence of a rich heritage associated with the interactions between nature and humans over time. This heritage includes tangible and intangible assets, the latter including traditional knowledge, history, knowledge of natural cycles, and the identification of the local population with its landscapes; in short, resources are understood as a legacy that needs to be reappraised and passed on to future generations. Saffron cultivation is an example of an agricultural landscape with significant intangible heritage values associated with the know-how and the family-run nature of the farms. The resources linked to saffron cultivation in the region of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) are described in this paper, with an emphasis on how local communities perceive them as an integral part of their geographical identity. The results, following in-depth interviews with different local actors, demonstrate the potential for the intangible values associated with saffron to drive local development in many rural areas once they have been reappraised and classified as assets for attracting tourism. SP - 2453 EP - 2472 TI - Regional Identity and Intangible Heritage Related to Saffron Cultivation in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85151648588&doi=10.3390%2fheritage6030129&partnerID=40&md5=c4888823fdb0798a32a6e579393ab0dc VL - 6 ER -