DUSHANBE, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The Almosi Valley, located in the city of Hisor in western Tajikistan, has been officially admitted into the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Khovar news agency reported Wednesday, citing the FAO Representative Office in Tajikistan.
The designation was announced during a meeting of the GIAHS Scientific Advisory Group held from July 7 to 8 at the FAO headquarters in Rome.
The Almosi Valley becomes the first and only site in Central Asia to be inscribed on the FAO's GIAHS list.
Kaveh Zahedi, director of the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, said that in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, strengthening resilience and promoting sustainable agrifood systems have become increasingly important.
Located in a rugged mountainous region, the Almosi Valley is home to an integrated agropastoral system shaped over centuries. It combines the seasonal transhumance of sheep with the cultivation of grapes, cereals, orchards and vegetables, playing a vital role in ensuring food and livelihood security, preserving agrobiodiversity and safeguarding cultural heritage, according to the FAO.
With the inclusion of heritage systems from Tajikistan, South Korea and Portugal, the GIAHS network now includes 99 systems across 29 countries.
The recognition of the Almosi Valley marks both international recognition and a key step in advancing sustainable agriculture and traditional knowledge preservation in Central Asia. ■