The AICS-funded project intends to promote awareness on agricultural landscape systems and traditional landscapes through courses and research activities especially in Italian cooperation priority countries.
The initiative “Building Capacity: an international advanced applied course on GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) for assessment and resilience in three different socio-environmental and bio-cultural contexts: Africa, Asia and Latin America” supports the FAO GIAHS programme, aimed at promoting traditional agricultural systems conceived as intangible heritages that combine the conservation of biodiversity, respect for traditional social structures, and support for economic development with a focus on local farming communities. Similar to what UNESCO has done in terms of cultural heritage, FAO GIAHS envisages the creation of specific sites for the active conservation of traditional agricultural systems (http://www.fao.org/giahs/en/).
The executing agency of the initiative is the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Systems of the University of Florence which main objective is disseminating the defense of traditional agricultural systems through the creation of an academic pole aimed at training managers dedicated to FAO GIAHS sites and the dissemination of the topic at a global level.
In this context, it is particularly necessary to create professionals capable of identifying and managing GIHAS sites. These experts must possess the capacity to dynamically preserve traditional agricultural knowledge, values of local cultures, biocultural diversity and landscape characteristics.
For this reason, the IACS promotes participation in the master course for students from countries where the IACS is active through the implementation of projects providing 10 scholarships.
To apply follow the link https://www.agriculturalheritage.com/applications2022_2023/
Deadline is 16 October 2022 and the final ranking will be published by 31 October 2022.
Selected students will start attending the master course from February 2023.