The overall goal of the project is to identify and safeguard Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems and their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems through catalyzing and establishing a long-term programme to support such systems and enhance global, national and local benefits derived through their dynamic conservation, sustainable management and enhanced viability.

To achieve this goal, the main objectives are to:
1) Leverage global and national recognition of the importance of GIAHS and institutional support for their safeguard;
2) Build capacity of local farming communities and local and national institutions to conserve and manage GIAHS, generate income and add economic value to goods and services of such systems in a sustainable fashion;
3) Promote enabling policy, regulatory and incentive environments to support their conservation, evolutionary adaptation and viability.

The project will be implemented in 10 pilot systems worldwide. The long term programme will build on the experiences and lessons learnt in up to 10 pilot systems/sites.

The project development phase (PDF-B) (18 months 2004-2005) will
- select the 10 initial systems/sites;
- develop a methodological framework and a step by step approach for the participatory development and implementation of the framework strategy and actions for a ¿dynamic conservation¿ of the pilot systems;
- establish participatory mechanisms and processes and design Pilot Frameworks in each pilot system and country
- develop a communication strategy and plan;
- leverage global and national support and co-funding arrangements for the full scale project
- develop the full project executive summary and project document. for the implementation of the programme.

The fullscale project (2005-2010) will develop and test the methodologies for dynamic conservation and sustainable management of GIAHS in 10 pilot systems through implementation of the pilot frameworks.

Governments:
Government of Brazil - Terra preta (Amazonian Dark Earths) with EMBRAPA
Government of Chile - Municipality of Rapa Nui
Government of China - Ministry of Agriculture: Lingshui county, Hainan Province and Sanghzi county, Hunan Province
Government of India - Sacred gardens and rice terraces
Government of Iran (Islamic Republic of) - Ministry of Jihad and Agriculture
Government of Kenya - Marsabit district
Government of Madagascar - Rice and agro forestry systems
Government of Mexico - Nayarit region and Mexico City
Government of Peru - Consejo nacional del Ambiente (CONAM)
Government of Philippines - Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Department of Agriculture, Diliman, Quezon City
Government of Russian Federation - Reindeer herding and hinting, trapping communities
Government of Tunisia - South Tunisia

Major Groups:
Tibetan people of Ladakh (China)
International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) (India)
Raika (India)
Cenesta (Iran (Islamic Republic of))
Marsh Arabs (Iraq)
Slow Food movement (Italy)
Maasai (Kenya)
Maya (Mexico)
Indigenous communities of Chiloe Island, Rapa Nui, Quechwa and Aymara (Peru)
Indigenous communities of Banawe (Philippines)
Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples from the North (RAIPON) (Russian Federation)
Udege in Kamtchatka (Russian Federation)

UN System:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (Italy)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (France)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Heritage Centre (WHC) (France)
Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) Secretariat (Germany)
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat (Kenya)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/ Global Environment Facility (GEF) (Kenya)
United Nations University (UNU), People, Land and Environmental Change Programme (PLEC) (Kenya)
The World Bank (WB) (United States of America)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (United States of America)

Other intergovernmental organizations:
The European Union (EU) (European Community)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (France)
ICCROM -International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (Italy)
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), CGIAR System-wide genetic resources programme (SGRP) (Italy)
IUCN- The World Conservation Union, Commission on policy, economics and sustainable development (Switzerland)

Other:
Cornell University (United States of America)
University of California, Berkeley (United States of America)