• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.6
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• pp.105-115
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• 2024

Wild ginseng, grown in undisturbed forest environments, has been maintained for centuriesthrough human intervention and knowledge, leading to the development of current ginseng agriculture. The practice of ginseng farming has long been established in various regions of Korea. However, the ginseng farming specifically in Geumsan was recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2018. This designation was granted after a thorough evaluation, which confirmed that Geumsan's ginseng farming met the necessary criteria, including historical importance, traditional knowledge system, agrobiodiversity, and agricultural landscape. Traditional ginseng farming in Geumsan practices the 'rotating agriculture system', a sustainable land use approach that has been developed over several cycles of long duration (10-15 years). It contains the knowledge to choose locations for cultivation that prioritize the direction of sunlight and wind circulation. Furthermore, it received significant recognition for its agricultural heritage value based on its maintenance of several traditional knowledge systems, including ancestral wisdom and knowledge regarding pre-planting field management techniques. As of December 2023, there are currently 86 locations in 26 nations that have been designated as GIAHS. Among these sites, Geumsan stands out as the first and only site in the world specifically recognized for the cultivation of ginseng crops. This historical record serves as a significant reminder of Korea's prominent position as a major producer of ginseng on a global level. This article first provides an overview of the concept of agricultural heritage, the designation criteria, and the status of the designation. It then identifies, among the GIAHS designation criteria, the agricultural heritage value of traditional ginseng farming in the Geumsan region from the perspective of local traditional knowledge systems.