NEW DELHI, 27 August 2025: The Union Government has announced new measures to promote India’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), in line with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) framework. India currently hosts three recognised sites: the Koraput region in Odisha, the Kuttanad farming system in Kerala, and the Saffron Heritage of Kashmir.
The Koraput region, famous for its subsistence paddy cultivation, is home to a wide diversity of landraces and farmer-developed varieties, along with genetic resources of medicinal plants sustained by indigenous tribal knowledge.
The Kuttanad farming system, the only below-sea-level agricultural landscape in the country, integrates paddy cultivation, coconut gardens, fisheries, and inland water management. Ongoing projects under RKVY-DPR include infrastructure development in Alappuzha’s Padasekharams and ecological research on water hyacinth utilization.
In Kashmir, the saffron agro-pastoral system—practiced through intercropping and organic methods—continues to receive support under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), aimed at boosting economic revival.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, these initiatives reflect India’s commitment to biodiversity conservation, organic farming practices, and heritage agriculture that sustain local communities and food security.
