On Special Value of Agricultural Heritage of Ethnic Groups in China
中国各民族农业遗产的特殊价值分析

Agricultural heritage is adapted to specific natural and ecological systems, and these systems are generally stable and sustainable in all countries and ethnic groups. Consequently, each agricultural heritage could be useful not only in ancient and modern times, but also in the future. Even in the process of modernization nowadays, agricultural heritage of ethnic groups still has the special value. Because agriculture heritage ended in the front industrial age, no ethnic group could fulfill the survival needs by the support and system guarantee of other nations. They have to depend on the normal operation of national culture to face all kinds of natural and ecological challenges. This is quite different from the intensive farming under the industrial culture. The industrial culture could cope with a variety of natural challenges posed by market operation, the transfer of technology and equipments, the cross-cultural social aid, and so on. But agricultural heritage could only treat ecological maintenance as the primary goal, so that agricultural heritage could not only meet the requirements of low carbon economy, but also bring social economic and ecological benefits without the supply of fossil energy. The inheritance and application of agricultural heritage are the reliable means for ecological construction. The agricultural heritage of all Chinese ethnic groups has applications in society, which is the combination of knowledge, wisdom, technology, and skills. This feature displays in the sustainable capacity of the objects which the agricultural heritage is adapt to, as well as the shifting of the scope of application and the grafting of the agricultural heritage itself. The special value of the agricultural heritage is the ecological value consisting of three aspects. First, it could avoid the weak links among its ecological systems. Second, it could reduce the potential of risks in natural and ecological environments. Third, it could remedy the missing links of resources in the environment. Therefore, agricultural heritage is the foundation of the development of human society. The inheritance and evolution of agricultural heritage are also a primary focus of the community, in which participation of people and specific processes are indispensable. However, there are still some limitations involved in the inheritance since social coordination does not seem to advance with time. It is urgent for people to establish the awareness of agricultural heritage protection.