A production system that is certified as an agricultural cultural heritage within the meaning of the FAO's GIAHS program represents an overall system consisting of agriculture, ecology, landscape, economy, history and culture. At the center is an agricultural system with traditional use that is worthy of protection and which is... Conservation is at risk and is of global importance. This global importance should be seen in the sense that they must be role models for other countries.
For this purpose, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management (BML) commissioned the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein as the GIAHS Focal Point to accompany this process and to publicize the opportunities that arise from it.
Requirements for admission to the GIAHS program:
- It is a remarkable and unique agricultural production system that is spatially discrete
- It offers a local solution approach to problems or challenges
- It has contemporary value and there is a risk: preservation for the future is necessary
- The focus is on the agricultural production system, not on the product itself
- It must be described as a whole system, including the historical background and its meaning
- It is of global importance. This global importance should be seen in the sense that they must be role models for other countries.
Criteria for participation in the GIAHS program
The following five criteria must be met in order to be considered agricultural production system of global importance that is worth preserving
- serves food and livelihood security
- promotes agro-biodiversity
- preserves local and traditional knowledge
- based on traditional social structures (culture and value systems)
- shows typical landscape structures
Opportunities through participation in the GIAHS program
The program offers the opportunity to show valuable but under-pressure elements of Austrian agriculture and can thus contribute to their preservation nationally and provide new impetus.
It also offers the opportunity to position small-scale agricultural production processes and the resulting cultural landscape as positive examples internationally, in contrast to industrialized agriculture. In this context, the term “global significance” must also be interpreted accordingly, meaning that these must be exemplary examples for others.
Information material, application documents for the GIAHS program
In order to enable applications for inclusion in the catalog of agricultural production systems worthy of protection from Austria, the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, as GIAHS Focal Point Austria, accompanies the process for inclusion as a GIAHS. Please direct all questions regarding a possible submission to
Information to download
Further links
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN: FAO (English)
GIAHS - Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems: FAO website (English )
Intangible cultural heritage: customs, knowledge, craft techniques:
Austrian UNESCO site
In addition, the directory of intangible cultural heritage in Austria, in the section “Dealing with nature”
European Heritage Label on the EU website
