José María García Álvarez-Coque, professor at the Department of Economics and Social Sciences of the Universitat Politècnica de València, has been appointed as a member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) program.
Professor García Álvarez-Coque was the coordinator of the project that in 2019 granted l’Horta de València the GIAHS recognition and will be part of the group appointed by the FAO Director General, Qu Dongyu, until 2033. In addition to the professor, the advisory group includes Patricia Bustamante (Brazil); Tiziano Tempesta (Italy); Li Xiande (China); Yagi Nobuyuki (Japan); Helida Oyoeke (Kenya); Catherine Tucker (USA) and Slim Zekri (Tunisia).
This FAO initiative aims to identify and safeguard GIAHS landscapes, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems. The advisory group, therefore, plays a central role in carrying out sound and transparent evaluation processes.