IPSI member the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability Operating Unit Ishikawa/Kanazawa (UNU-IAS OUIK) recently published the GIAHS Monitoring and Evaluation Manual: A Technical Reference. The publication provides a guide to designing and implementing a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) process for Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems.

GIAHS is an initiative administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for identification and conservation of agricultural systems around the world that, according to its website, “have resulted not only in outstanding landscapes, maintenance and adaptation of globally significant agricultural biodiversity, indigenous knowledge systems and resilient ecosystems, but also food and livelihood security for millions of poor and small farmers in a sustainable manner”. UNU has actively promoted the GIAHS concept in Japan since 2009. Published by UNU-IAS and the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of the Republic of Korea, the manual aims to reinforce the importance and usefulness of an M&E process as an integral part of conservation efforts, as defined by the GIAHS Action Plan; and support the management and governance of GIAHS through specific steps to monitor and evaluate activities performed under the Action Plan.

This publication should be of interest to governments and government-related organisations in any countries that are interested in promoting sustainable development of agricultural heritage systems.

To consolidate knowledge, UNU-IAS and the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of the Republic of Korea have conducted a joint research project, Introduction of Technologies on Characteristic Analysis and Conservation Management in Agricultural Heritage Systems. The manual is an output of this partnership, produced in consultations with stakeholders from the 16 GIAHS regions across Korea and Japan.

The publication is available for download from UNU Collections here, or by clicking the image below.