The “2018 International Conference on Eco-Friendly Farming and Farmland Ecology” was held August 17 to 19 at the National University of Taiwan in Chinese Taipei. The conference was organized by IPSI members Tse Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation and the Forestry Bureau to discuss practical solutions for sustainable development through eco-friendly agriculture. Nearly 600 people participated in the event.

Dr. Evonne Yiu of the IPSI Secretariat was invited to speak on the Satoyama Initiative and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) on the third day of the conference, illustrating how agricultural biodiversity and agro-ecology could be improved through conservation of agricultural heritage in SEPLS and GIAHS, and encouraging reflections on the importance of inheritance and sustainable management. Dr. Rajarshi Dasgupta of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) also introduced the Satoyama Development Mechanism (SDM)and shared research analysis of how SDM projects contributed to Aichi Biodiversity Targets and SDGs from economic, social, information, management, and innovation aspects.