Project ALPTER

Now available the Bibliography on terraces in Italian

2013-05-31T10:30:59Z

The work to prepare a complete bibliography about terraced landscapes in Italian language has been undertaken by the Italian Section of the Internazional Alliance of Terraced Landscapes. An advanced draft is available, which joins the bibliography about terraces in Spain already published on our website. These documents are part of the preparation activities for the Second World Conference of Terraced Landscapes that will try to widen the perspective on this territorial heritage at global scale.

Bibliographic references on Terraces in Italy

2013-05-31T10:12:46Z

The Italian section of the International Terraced Landscapes Alliance is preparing an exhaustive list of bibliographic references concerning agricultural terraces. This is a collection of books and scientific articles dealing with terraced areas (their conservation, cultivation, etc.) in Italian language, which can be useful both to the researchers and to the connoisseurs to learn more. The bibliography is still being implemented. (Here below, the Cinque Terre in Ligury)

Click here to download the document.

European Meeting, Val di Cembra May 2013 - World Conference, Peru May 2014

2013-04-03T14:04:31Z

Here is the invitation to the next European Meeting of the International Alliance for Terraced Landscapes scheduled for early May:

Dear Friends,

please find enclosed the agenda of the three days meeting about Terraced Landscape which will be held in Val di Cembra (Trento, Italy) on May 3rd-4th-5th 2013.

The meeting, promoted by the Italian and international Alliance for Terraced Landscapes, is the first meeting at the European level of the ITLA members (International Terraced Landscape Alliance) and is aimed at building knowledge networks, at the exchange of good practices and at the preparation of the Second World Conference to be held in Peru in May 2014.

Those interested in taking part in the meeting are requested to write me or the organizers.

Best regards, Donatella Murtas

Italian Section Coordinator - Alliance for Terraced Landscapes

Second World Conference on Nature and Cultures of Terraced Landscapes

2013-03-27T13:43:59Z

09.04.2013

Second World Conference on Nature and Cultures of Terraced Landscapes

The guardians of the terraced landscapes and its biodiversity, the cultural and natural diversity are treasures for the present and future of humankind.

Cusco, Peru - 19 to 22 May 2014

First Conference in Yunnan, China in November 2010

The prefectural government of the Red River prefecture convened and funded the first Conference on Terraced Landscapes in Mengzi with more than 200 participants. Prof. Shi Junchao led the organising team and the facilitators from Honghe University to run 5 parallel workshops and 1 Farmer Forum. The topics dealt with History and Culture of Terraces, Impact of Tourism on Terraces, Organic Production on Terraces, Management of World Heritage Sites, and Policies and regulations affecting Terraced Landscapes and Cultures. The participants of the Conference gathered and formed the International Terraced Landscapes Alliance (ITLA), which is coordinated by Timmi Tillmann, affiliated with the Right Livelihood College at USM in Malaysia. Until now more than 100 professionals and activists are affiliated with ITLA from more than 20 countries. The website www.alpter.net from Italy is hosting until now the communications of ITLA under administration of Luca Lodatti.

Second World Conference in Peru in May 2014

Since 2010 the hosts (John Earls from Catholic University, Lima and Hilda Araujo from CITPA) of the next Conference 2013 in Peru has united a team of 20 organisers and about 15 supporting institutions from Peru. With the cooperation by Maruja Salas and Timmi Tillmann from ITLA the team has agreed to organise the next World Conference in May 2014 in Cusco, in the Southern Andes of Peru. The aim is to provide a forum for researchers, activists and terrace farmers from terraced landscapes in the world to discuss and agree upon actions to protect, preserve and promote terraced landscapes in the world.

Objectives of the Conference

Present showcases of the wealth of knowledge, farmers wisdom and practices of terraced landscapes and cultures (especially from Peru)-
Identify and understand the state of the art of terraces in the world with a multidisciplinary, participatory and historic approach and acknowledge the validity and diversity of local knowledge, management skills and livelihoods of traditional terrace societies and of the biodiversity produced by the 'guardians' of terraced landscapes.
Organize a Farmer Forum to hear the voices and exchange experiences from terrace-farmers and learn about the visionx and perspectives of the rural communities from different countries, to show and advocate the importance of terraced landscapes and their cultures for the future of humanity.
Analyze the poltical, social and economic barriers and propose alternative action to promote terraced landscapes and the rights to land, water, biodiversity, livelihood and culture of the terrace communities (and their members).
Propose and start organizing plans of actions in defense of the terraced landscapes, biodiversity and small farmer agriculture.
Strengthen an intergenerational movement to defend and promote terraced landscapes.
Define the future development of ITLA, promote specific country strategies and determine the hosts, country and dates for the Third World Conference (probably 2016 in Italy, 2019 in Ifugao, Philippines).

Participants

We invite to join the Second World Conference and reach a total group of 200 participants, with at least 50 international delegates, farmers and activists, researchers and decision makers, 'guardians' of terraces and their biodiversity, technicians and facilitators of local development processes from regions with terraced landscapes, as well as officials of international organizations. The more than 30 organisers and supporters of the World Conference include Universities, Research Centers, young academics, NGOs, national and local government agencies, networks and communities from Peru.

Preparatory process in each country or region

For Peru we have proposed and are organising the following actions and steps:

The Inventory of terraced landscapes in Peru.
Updated comprehensive Bibliography about nature and culture of terraces in Peru.
Regional workshops with farmers, activists and researchers in different parts of Peru.
Case studies about terraced landscapes communities and special regions
Elaboration of participatory videos and documentaries about terraced lanscapes use (Nature and Culture).
Field course in Chivay, Colca Valley, Arequipa in October of 2013 to analyse the topics of the World Conference in one of the most meaningful terraced landscapes in Peru.
Short Fieldtrips near Lima, Ayacucho, Cusco, Puno
National workshop in early 2014 to promote terraced landscapes to the Peruvian government and the public, with an exhibition of terrace products and photographies and videos.
The Italian section has proposed to organise the national Encounter in Italy from 3 to 4 of May 2013 with the possibility that participants from other European countries could attend.
ITLA will elaborate a compilation of outstanding essays and reports from all over the world to be distributed as a virtual book on Terraced Landscapes.

All international sections are asked to develop similar preparatory activities in their countries in terraced landscapes areas, with the local guardians.

Format of the World Conference

12 to 17 of May 2013

Field trips in parallel groups to 4 different regions (Lima, Central Andes – Ayacucho – Apurimac, South – Arequipa, Puno, and South East – Cusco). initial workshop of 1 day in Lima to form teams and agree on the tasks for the field teams. Final workshop in Cusco on the 18th to elaborate a presentation about field trip to the Conference.

18 of May 2013

A Public Fair of Arts, Food and Wisdom about terraced landscapes and cultures

19 - 22 of May 2014

Second World Conference combining Plenaries offering presentations by Farmers, Researchers and Activists as inputs to thematic workshops. We propose 4 steps for the thematic workshops: 1. focus on the themes; 2. analyze issues, cases and experiences; 3. develop a vision of the future for terraced landscapes and finally 4. agree upon action plan and starting to implement it with shared responsibilities.

During the World Conference there are parallel events: Farmer Forum, Video and Film Festival, Exhibition of Terraced Landscapes Products, Networking of Participants for example Assembly of ITLA members.

Themes of the Conference

1. History and Cultures of terraced landscapes
2. Water, Territory and Climate Change
3. Construction and Maintenenace of Terraces
4. Traditional indigenous knowledge about agro-biodiversity of agricultural terraces
5. Food Sovereignty (Local seeds and Organic Farming)
6. The social organisation of mountain people as guardians of terraces and domesticators of plants and animals in diverse agro-ecological zones
7. Governance of terraced landscapes and human development. Policies - State - Laws and Customary Laws
8. GIS methodology and the inventory of Terraced Landscapes; terraced landscape analysis and planning with GIS instruments
9. World Heritage and Landscapes - Attraction and Impact of Tourism

The complete document with practical information to take part in the 2nd World Conference can be downloaded here below.

In May 2014 in Peru the Second World Conference on Terraced landscapes

2013-03-27T13:24:02Z

The International Terraced Landscapes Alliance is proud of announcing the organization of the Second World Conference about study, protection and cultivations of these cultural landscapes diffused in all continents. As the official document says:

Second World Conference on Nature and Cultures of Terraced Landscapes. The guardians of the terraced landscapes and its biodiversity, the cultural and natural diversity are treasures for the present and future of humankind. Cusco, Peru - 19 to 22 May 2014

Complete presentation and practical information available here.

September 2012 - 4th Circular Letter from International Terraced Landscapes Alliance

2012-10-04T10:34:42Z

20.09.2012

This circular letter has a very specific purpose: try to involve more terraced landscape lovers into the alliance. Therefore we open the membership to all persons (researchers, promotors and practitioners - farmers) who are interested to form part of the international terraced landscape alliance (ITLA). ITLA is an informal network of the individual participants to the First Terraced Landscapes Conference, which was organised by the Prefectural Government of Honghe (Red River) Prefecture in Yunnan, China in November 2010. Please send in your registration form.

The participants formed ITLA and signed the Honghe Declaration, which is attached to this circular letter as a separate document. See also the ITLA section on the ALPTER website: www.alpter.net , which is administered by Luca Lodatti in Venice, Italy.

The members of the ITLA commit to several activities from now on:
develop further the inventory of terraced landscapes in their countries
identify experienced farmers (male and female) specialised in the construction, maintenance and protection of terraced landscapes and those who are the stewards of the indigenous - local knowledge of the biodiversity of the terraces
undertake case studies on specific areas with terraces involving the perspective and the vision of the local farmers about the terraced landscapes and cultures
if possible, take part in the preparations and the realisation of the World Conference on Terraced Landscapes and Cultures in October 2013 in the Colca Valley of Peru.

More ideas were mentioned during the first session of the alliance, like
promote exchange between members and country groups • promote pilot areas for the protection and promotion of terraces • establish a clearing house and a virtual resource center for terraced landscapes The members established the alliance until the next Conference in Peru as a free membership of individuals, who engage in their respective countries and regions to develop country sections according to the local conditions.

...

Best regards, Timmi

Timmi Tillmann, Advisor of Right Livelihood College at CenPRIS - Center for Policy Research and International Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia - 11800 Penang, Malaysia, e-mail: timmitillmann@googlemail.com

For the complete text see the attached document. Topics:
Second Conference on Terraced Landscapes in Peru
Meeting of the Italian section of the ITLA
News from Slovenia
News from Spain

The International Alliance for Terraced Landscapes in Italy: The new website

2012-10-01T08:44:00Z

The network of the International Alliance for Terraced Landscapes is growing and the Italian section has just put on-line its web-site. It will link the people committed to study, restore and cultivate the many terraced areas scattered through all Italy, from the Alps to the Tuscan hills, form the Tirrenian coasts down to the Mediterranean isles. To take a look to the web-site just click here, while the last bullettin of the Italian section is still available here. The work of all participants to the network is going on, looking toward the next international events, like the XIII International Congress on Drystone Building in Sardinia in September 2012 and then the II World Conference on Terraced Landscapes in Peru in 2013.

August 2012 - News from International Terraced Landscapes Alliance

2012-08-06T07:12:36Z

03.08.2012

Dear colleagues from ITLA, Herewith I send you the latest news from ITLA.

ITLA New members

New members have been affiliating from Spain (15), Ethiopia (Kibreab Habte Michael), Switzerland (Raimund Rodewald), France (Thierry Ruf) and USA (Bill Rivera). Please help us to gain more partners and members of ITLA in the coming months by sending out the attached registration form. Thanks to Sabina Asins from Valencia the Spanish section of ITLA has grown to the largest Terrace Research Group at international level (besides Peru as there is a large group of researchers and activists involved in the organisation of the Second World Conference). We are also contacting our members to join the International Advisory Committee of the forthcoming World Conference November 2013 in the Colca Valley in Peru.

Preparatory Meeting in Lima, Peru

On July 16th the organisers of the Second World Conference on Terraced Landscapes met at the Catholic University in Lima to continue preparing the Conference, which will occur in November 2013 in Chivay in the mid of the Terraced Landscape of the Colca Valley. The participants informed about the progress in preparing local case studies, regional conferences in 5 areas of the Peruvian Andes, identification of outstanding farmers - guardians of the terraces and its agrobiodiversity and cultures. John Earls in his seminar on Andean Technology and History is collecting an updated Bibliography on Terraced Landscapes in Peru - he will use the 9 Conference topics as the structure to classify the Bibliography, which should be ready by December 2012. We discussed the preparation of the pre-announcement of the World Conference, which will be send out during the coming weeks for pre-registration. This document will also serve as base document for contacting international funding agencies to ask for support of the World Conference.

The Terrace Program of Agrorural from the Agrarian Ministry of Peru (pilot project funded by IDB) presented the progress of the inventory of terraced landscapes for the regions of Lima, Huancavelica, Ayacucho and Apurimac. Te inventory is prepared by Desco and will be presented during the National Terrace Conference to be organised end of September in Lima, Peru. Be aware of the news from Peru. Our next preparation meeting will be held in Chivay in December 2012 back to back with a REGIONAL WORKSHOP for the regions of Arequipa and surrounding areas like Moquegua and Tacna. Dates are planned for Dec 19 to 20. We also have discussed to organise a 10 day summer course end of January 2013 (in Spanish) on Terraced Landscapes, its history, culture and significance in Cusco as a cooperation between the Center Bartolome de las Casas from Cusco (Mourik Bueno de Mesquita) and the Catholic University in Lima (John Earls). A separate announcement of the course program will follow soon.

References on Agricultural terraces in Spain

The Spanish section of the International Terraced Landscapes Alliance has prepared an exhaustive list of bibliographic references concerning agricultural terraces. This is a collection of books and scientific articles dealing with terraced areas (their conservation, cultivation, etc.) in Spanish language, which can be useful both to the researchers and to the connoisseurs to learn more. The following link guides you to the page of Alpter, where you can download the bibliography on terraced landscapes in Spain.

Visit to Terraced Landscapes in Peru

Maruja Salas and myself had the chance to visit several terraced landscape areas in Peru. Together with Mourik Bueno and Ana Pino from Puno we visited the Province of Sandia in Puno, Peru. The terraces of the oriental slopes leading to the Amazon basin are well kept and as the climate is rather humid constitute a very special environment. The terraces count with specific irrigation and drainage channels. The farmers of Sandia have built their houses on the slopes and manage the terraces surrounding their living places and keep a rich production of corn and other crops for their subsistence and for the market.

From July 3 to 8 we guided a Participatory Action Research process on themes like Water, Organic Farming, Climate Change and Environmental Risks in the district of Mollebamba, Province of Antabamba in Apurimac, Central Andes on behalf of the Adaptation Program to Climate Change (PACC) funded by the Swiss Government. Participants from different organisations joined the research teams (PACC, CBC, PREDES, TAREA) together with community members. The communities of Mollebamba face the presence of a Mining Enterprise which affects and will affect their livelihood and water quality. Out of this farmer research will result a video on the participatory research process and about the different aspects of terraced landscapes linked to Andean crops and water management in a historic dimension.

Best regards, Timmi

Timmi Tillmann, Advisor of Right Livelihood College at CenPRIS - Center for Policy Research and International Studies, e-mail: timmitillmann@googlemail.com, Universiti Sains Malaysia - 11800 Penang, Malaysia

Bibliographic references on Terraces in Spain

2012-07-24T09:06:11Z

Click here to download the document.

June 2012 News from the International Terraced Landscapes Alliance

2012-06-01T14:14:30Z

01.06.2012

Dear friends and colleagues of the ITLA this time I want to give an update about the latest activities of ITLA and inform you that the announcement for the World Conference on Terraced Landscapes and Cultures will be sent out after the next Committee Meeting in Peru in July 2012.

Visit to Valstagna in Italy last week

Maruja Salas and myself had the opportunity to join the First Festival of the Landscape in the Brenta Valley North of Padua in the Veneto Region of Italy.

On Friday May 25 we could join and observe the Human Chain of 1300 school children of different ages to embrace the valley and send hundreds of balloons with messages about the value of the landscape for the human society, especially in the Brenta Valley with superb terraces where wine, legumes, potatoes, vegetables grow on a small scale production. Mauro Varotto from Padua University and the historian Angelo Chemin from the local museum network led us to several hamlets with functioning terraces. As a way to maintain the terraces they have created with the municipality of Valstagna the program - Adopt a Terrace, where private persons can adopt a terrace for free but it obliges them to keep the terrace clean and functioning. For example, Aziz from Morocco adopted a terrace and is planting Moroccan mint, so that he can offer in his Italian-Moroccan restaurant authentic Mint tea so important for his culture. In Valstagna is a large community of Moroccan immigrants working in local services and industries for many years. By having the program of adopting a terrace many abandoned terraces have come into life again.

During the afternoon the Italian section organised a meeting to discuss their progress and learn about the results of the last planning meeting of the Peruvian Organising Team in January in Lima. Lucija Azman from Lubljana - Slovenia - attended the events also and we discussed the need for the European Encounter and Workshop on Terraced Landscapes to be held end of November in Italy. We also worked on the elaboration of a proposal for funding to the EU within the Edulink program, which would support academic courses on terraced landscapes and cultures in cooperation between European and ACP countries. We spoke about including besides the European universities institutes with experience on terraces from Morocco, Ethiopia and Madagascar. We emphasised the need to exchange experiences and inventories of terraced landscapes worldwide, be it to harmonise methodologies, or to establish a world map of terraced landscapes. We will share soon the methodology proposed by Alpter about the data sheets for terraced areas. We discussed the possibility that researchers from Slovenia and Italy could join the presentation of the inventory of terraces in Peru.

During the evening of the 25th the Observatory of the Landscape from Val di Brenta presented a video about the recent experience of terrace adopters showing the efforts, the ideas and the result of the improvement of the terraced landscapes. We also could take part of a brindis during the torch relay of the mayors of the different municipalities in the valley, which symbolizes the need for joint cooperation to protect the specific landscape and culture of the region of the Brenta Valley. On Saturday, May 26th we presented in Valstagna during a seminar of the Observatory together with Donatella Murtas, the Italian coordinator of ITLA, the Alliance, since its origin in 2010 in Mengzi in Honghe Prefecture and the preparatory process of the World Conference in Peru. The seminar was attended by the students of the Academic Course of the universities of Padua and Venice on Landscape Planning, who received their diploma of the one year program.

World Conference in November 2013 in Peru

The organising committee is preparing the first announcement for the World Conference on terraced Landscapes. We are proposing now 9 topics:
1. History and Cultures
2. Agro-Biodoversity in Terraced Landscapes
3. Food Sovereignty and Food Cultures
4. Social organisation of Terraced Landscape management
5. Water, land and climate change
6. Government policies and regulations
7. Inventories of Terraced Landscapes and Methodologies of GIS
8. World heritage sites, tourism and landscapes
9. Construction and maintenance of terraced landscapes

The Peruvian organisers are engaged in the preparatory process about the Peruvian agricultural terraces - inventory, case studies, regional workshops and encounters in Cusco, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Lima, a national workshop early 2013, academic courses on the history and culture of Terraced landscapes in Peru at the Catholic University as well as on Water and Land Management in the Andes at the Center Bartolomé de las Casas in Cusco.

We also want to prepare a bibliography on terraced landscapes and the 9 topics of the World Conference. On one side we shall do it for Peru, but we also want to invite you as members of ITLA to provide a selection of the most outstanding documents and papers for a compilation to be give to the participants for the World Conference in 2013. We also expect your proposals to name an International Advisory Committee for the World Conference 2013 with representatives of all countries involved in ITLA.

Our next planning session will be mid July in Lima Peru and you will immediately afterwards receive news from ITLA about the announcement and inscription to the World Conference planned to be held in November 2013. I will contact next week all members who have not sent in the registration to ITLA, which is independent from your participation in the Conference. We count now with 80 members of the International Alliance but their is much room for incorporating more members from terraced landscapes countries.

Best regards, Timmi