An ancient pear orchard, a fresh water pearl farming system and a tea culture system in China have been designated as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
As the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced on Tuesday, the three sites are the 600-year-old Gaolan Shichuan Ancient Pear Orchard System in northwest China's Gansu Province; the Deqing Freshwater Pearl Mussels Composite Fishery System, an 800-year-old fish-mussel co-cultivation system that merges aquaculture, agriculture and craftsmanship in Zhejiang Province in east China; and the Fuding white tea cultural system in Fujian Province, also in east China, which blends favorable geography, climate and centuries-old tea culture.
With the three latest additions, China now has 25 GIAHS sites -- the highest in the world.
The GIAHS program, launched by the FAO, has assisted farming communities in safeguarding traditional agricultural systems and associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures.
Three agricultural sites in China recognized as globally important
