Context
Agricultural Landscapes take up 39% of European lands, presenting a palimpsest of human interaction with nature and creating an extensive ‘green infrastructure’, when sustainably cultivated, with socio-ecological impact to everyday lives of people.

Yet, these valuable landscapes, often in close relation with urbanised lands, do not receive the acknowledgement, the ontological planning and the design they deserve.

Unknown to most of citizens, the agricultural landscapes are seen as a background of holidays, many times idealised as ‘scenery’ and therefore, Landscape Architects are committed to take actions towards their recognition as productive, important to produce ecosystem services and also recreational valuable place on earth.

IFLA Europe Agricultural Landscape Working group invites professionals and non-professionals to submit images of their ‘idealised’ but also of their everyday agricultural landscapes in an attempt to include as many stakeholders as possible!
Share our vision and submit your photograph!

Who is making the call and why?
IFLA EUROPE Agricultural Landscapes Working Group is launching an open call for images aimed at acknowledging and mapping traditional agricultural landscapes in Europe. This activity contributes to the goal of making a European inventory of agricultural heritage systems aligned with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation/Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Sites (UN FAO/GIAHS) guidelines http://www.fao.org/giahs/become-a-giahs/selection-criteria-and-action-plan/en/;

Who can participate?
Participants from all over Europe are asked to submit a photograph (at least 300 dpi) representing the main characteristics of the traditional agricultural/forestry/livestock landscape and seascape. “Traditional” is meant as a sustainable, important for the identity of the local communities, their sense of belonging to the places, productive landscape, expression of the co-evolution between men and environment and of the relationship nature-culture. The cultivating/producing technique must be briefly described (max 300 words), and the relation between local community and landscape.

The applicants need to send the following material:
– Filled in Application form in word with required information
– Release of rights declaration duly signed
– Photos (minimum 300 dpi, one photo 800px for website and one photo 4000px for printed version.
– Entry in postcard format.

1. Filled in Application form in Word with the following information (please scroll to the bottom of the text to download the form):

Which kind of agriculture, forestry or livestock? Short description of the characteristics (300 words)

Which of the following criteria are satisfied? Flag the answers. The explanation of different criteria is given below:

– Food and livelihood security
The proposed agricultural system contributes to food and/or livelihood security of local communities. This includes a wide variety of agricultural types such as self-sufficient and semi-subsistence agriculture where provisioning and exchanges take place among local communities, which contributes to rural economy.

– Agro-biodiversity
Agricultural biodiversity, as defined by UN FAO (*) as the variety of animals, plants and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. The system should be endowed with globally significant biodiversity and genetic resources for food and agriculture (e.g., endemic, domesticated, rare, endangered species of crops and animals).

– Local and Traditional Knowledge systems
The system should maintain local and invaluable traditional knowledge and practices, ingenious adaptive technology and management systems of natural resources, including biota, land, water which have supported agricultural, forestry and/or fishery activities.

– Cultures, Value systems, Recreational Values and Social Organisations
Cultural identity and sense of place are embedded in and belong to specific agricultural sites. Social organisations, value systems and cultural practices associated with resource management and food production may ensure conservation of and promote equity in the use and access to natural resources. Such social organisations and practices may take the form of customary laws and practices as well as ceremonial, religious and/or spiritual experiences.

– Landscapes and Seascapes Features
Landscapes or seascapes that have been developed over time through the interaction between humans and the environment, and appear to have stabilized or to evolve very slowly. Their form, shape and interlinkages are characterized by long historical persistence and a strong connection with the local socio-economic systems that produced them. Their stability, or slow evolution, is the evidence of integration of food production, the environment and culture in a given area or region. They may have the form of complex land use systems, such as land use mosaics, water and coastal management systems.

2. Release of rights declaration duly signed (form available on website)
3. Original photo at least 300 dpi
4. Your photo in postcard format

Applicants should make a postcard with their photo as front side and their details as the back side. Template is available below.

The applicants are required to send original image/photo in 2 different formats:

a) 800 px for website/digital version
b) 4000 px for printed version

The photograph submitted must meet basic technical and quality standards.

The shortlisted postcards will be realised by IFLA Europe in A5 format postcard is attached as an example.