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Agricultural Heritage Systems (AHS) have high economic value. In addition, their protection and management focus on the dynamic conservation and sustainable development of heritage sites, which play an important role in the economic development of such sites and have attracted the attention of many scholars. However, the economic effects of AHS recognition on heritage sites have not been well described in previous research. Therefore, taking the Phoenix Oolong tea culture system in Chao'an, Guangdong Province, as an example and selecting Chao'an District and Raoping County as research areas, this study attempts to explore the contribution of AHS identification to the economic growth of heritage sites. First, it collected economic data on the heritage site (Chao'an District) and control area (Raoping County) from 2010 to 2019. From the perspective of total volume change and industrial development, this study compared the difference in economic growth between heritage sites and control areas after China's Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS) were recognized. Subsequently, using interrupted time series analysis, this study quantitatively analyzed the significance of the changing trend of economic growth and industrial development difference between the two areas after this recognition. Based on these results, combined with a field investigation, this study discusses the specific path of AHS identification that affects heritage sites' economic growth. The results show that after the identification of the Phoenix Oolong tea agricultural system in Guangdong Province, the tourism and tea industry in Chao'an District developed rapidly, and tourism income increased significantly, which is conducive to local economic growth. Specifically, after the identification of the Phoenix Oolong tea culture system in Chao'an, Guangdong Province, the economic aggregates of Chao'an District increased. Among them, tea area, production, output value, number of tea cooperatives, and enterprises in Chao'an District all increased, and the tourism income and number of tourists received increased yearly. However, compared to Raoping County, the growth in tourism income in Chao'an District was the most significant. This study also found that heritage recognition inhibited the growth of tea cooperatives in the Chao'an District. Further analysis shows that the recognition of China-NIAHS effectively promotes the resource exploitation of heritage tourism, enhances the brand advantage of Phoenix Oolong tea, facilitates the development of the tourism and tea industries in Chao'an District, and integrates tea tourism in the heritage site, thus promoting the site's economic growth. At the same time, these economic achievements were also made possible by sound policy support. Therefore, the governments of heritage areas should attach importance to the role of agricultural heritage in regional development and give full play to the economic driving role of AHS. In conclusion, this study enriches relevant studies on AHS to a certain extent and provides empirical research ideas for the economic growth analysis of AHS as well as effective paths for its economic development.

To realize rural revitalization, this article analyzes the trends of China’s agricultural product demand, agricultural industrial structure, and agricultural labor demand in the next 30 years, and proposes that China should insist on the development of modern smart ecological agriculture in the future. To ensure national food security and achieve sustainable development of a high-efficiency, green, and high-value agriculture, China should promote agricultural efficiency improvement, system optimization, and efficient recycling of resources. It is necessary to reconstruct four systems: innovative agricultural science and technology, modern agricultural management, socialized agricultural service, and new-era agricultural personnel systems. Biological, equipment, ecological, and information technologies should be innovated to improve the agriculture sector. Furthermore, five major projects are recommended including pilot demonstration project for modern smart ecological agriculture, modern production and living waste treatment project, high-quality development monitoring and evaluation project for the whole agricultural industry chain, planting and breeding combined project led by breeding enterprises, and agricultural and rural personnel cultivation project.

Agricultural heritage systems are receiving increasing attention due to their multifunctional role, their capability to provide ecosystem services, and for representing sustainable development models for rural areas. At the international level, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched in 2002 the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Program to identify and safeguard traditional agro-silvo-pastoral systems that are the result of the adaptation of rural communities to the surrounding environments. Following this approach, similar national programs have been developed, among which the Italian National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes and the China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (China-NIAHS) initiative stand out. This research compares the China-NIAHS initiative and the Italian Register of Historical Rural Landscapes, highlighting similarities and differences and identifying strengths and weaknesses, to contribute to the development of proper tools for the conservation and valorization of agricultural heritage systems. Both initiatives were established in 2012 and share similar aims and inscription criteria, including historical and current significance, knowledge system and social structure, economic and productive framework, and causes of vulnerability. The main differences are related to the delimitation of the boundaries of the proposed sites and to the inscription process; in addition, while for the Italian National Register spatial analyses of land-use changes and landscape structure are mandatory according to a precise methodology, for the China-NIAHS no specific landscape analyses are required. The main critical issues are the lack of public participation and the lack of a monitoring plan after the inscription. The absence of monitoring is also the main vulnerability of the FAO GIAHS Programme. This research can offer important information for different stakeholders at the international, national, and local levels dealing with agricultural heritage conservation and valorization. In particular, it highlights the need of developing a multidisciplinary monitoring system with a standard methodology based on different indicators that can contribute to maximizing the impact of these initiatives. This research also provides useful information for the countries that are interested in developing a national initiative for agricultural heritage systems' identification and valorization/conservation or for countries that intend to improve their national programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss China's integrated farming system and its attempt to establish efficient and sustainable agroecosystems.