国連食糧農業機関（FAO、本部ローマ）のGIAHS事務局長、パルビス・クーハフカン氏が17日、認証セレモニーに出席のため能登入りした。パルビス氏が能登を訪問したは昨年6月以来、2度目となる。前回は金沢でのシンポジウム出席のため、ついでに能登の里山里海の視察で訪れた。金沢大学の能登学舎では、環境配慮型農業の社会人養成コース「能登里山マイスター養成プログラム」のカリキュラムと水田での生物多様性実習などについて説明を受け、それについて鋭く質問を浴びせた。さらに、実際に能登の田んぼで採集され昆虫の標本を食い入るように見ていた＝写真＝。パルビス氏が説く農業と環境の共存という主張は、本物だとこのとき私自身実感した。いまにして思えば、彼にとってもこのときの能登視察の第一印象が鮮明に残ったに違いない。言葉の端々に「Ｎ０ＴＯ」が出てくる。パルビス氏は能登空港で開催された認証セレモニーで「GIAHSは過去についてではなく、未来についてがテーマである。これが終わりではなく、始まりなのだ」と語った＝写真・下＝。氏の演説を録音起こしした早業の女史がいる。その原稿をいただいたので、そのまま掲載する。
Honorable Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture, Mayor of Noto, Proffessor Takeuchi, members of government, and local community, colleagues and friends, It is an honor and privilege for me to represent the (聞き落とし) of FAO, food and agricultural organization of the United Nations, in this very happy day of celebration of designation of noto peninsula as a globally important agricultural heritage system, or world agricultural heritage.Dear friends and colleagues, please note Word Agricultural Heritage is not about the past but about the future.
Humanity faces many challenges: financial and economic crises, food and security and poverty, environmental degradation, climate change, and balance population dynamics and many other challenges.
The foundations of our modern development patterns are questioned and globalization is creating many distortions in local values, and direction of our future generation is questioned.
As many scientists and others agree these days, we need to go back to our basic principle to build a new future.
GIAHS is about pillars of sustainability--ecological, economical, and social. It is about local food production and consumption, empowerment of local community, and reduction of our carbon footprint.
It’s about conservation of sustainable utilization of our biodiversity, using our local knowledge to manage and enhance our capacity to live in harmony with nature.
It is about the promotion of cultural diversity, and our deep beliefs and values, and it is about our aesthetic values and conservation of our landscapes or our satoyama.
Becoming a World Agricultural Heritage is both a privilege, but particularly, it is a responsibility.
The first step in working as members of GIAHS community, is stake-holder consultation, and prior informed consent.
This principle is one of the major principles of the convention on biological diversity.
This means, politicians, decision makers, members of the government need to discuss, and decide together with local communities and citizens.
The second step is the mainstreaming of the principles of GIAHS in our policies and practices.
This means cherishing our biodiversity, cherishing our cultural diversity, taking care of our indigenous knowledge, and cherishing our aesthetic values.
It is about empowering local communities, and preparing and assisting them in providing new opportunities, such as labeling, such as eco-tourism, such as installation of young people, and preparation of livelihood order.
I’m very pleased that big nations such as Japan, China, India, and Chile, and many countries are cherishing in agricultural heritage, but this is not an automatic recognition.
We need to identify model farms and model farmers, who are integrating all these principles―principles of GIAHS―into their practices and policies.
And by providing capacity building and helping these communities that everybody could include their livelihood system and crises.
We need a green agriculture in an era of green economy.
I’m confident that we will work together in achieving these objectives and goals, and our children and youngest generation will come back and join our effort in this happiness.
Thank you very much.
⇒18日（土）・金沢の天気 くもり
