There is abundant Satoyama and Satoumi nature in the Noto region, which has developed through people’s activities over a long period of time. In 2011, Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi were designated as GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Diverse activities and connections in the Noto area involving nature, living things, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, traditional skills, etc. were registered as one system consisting of 160 assets, which is being preserved and passed down to the next generation.
At the end of 2020, the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, Operating Unit Ishikawa Kanazawa (UNU-IAS OUIK) launched a project to make a film entitled “Handing Down the Food Knowledge and Skills of Noto GIAHS” by Mr. Koyama, the research associate of UNUV IAS OUIK. The project focuses on the knowledge and skills required for food processing and preservation of agricultural and aquatic products, which have been passed down from one generation to the next in the Noto region. It aims to create a visual record through interviews with farmers and fishermen in the region, which will convey the information to future generations.
The project centres on four themes: fermented food (miso), edible wild plants, seafood (sea cucumber) and seaweed. The film will be released on the occasion of the International Conference on Noto GIAHS to be held in November 2021, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the designation of Noto GIAHS.
