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Institute of Agricultural Economics and Technology, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China

Abstract Through study on the agricultural cultural heritage status of species in Wuhan City, it is found that the existing agricultural cultural heritage protection in Wuhan is late and mainly through the development of local varieties. According to the agricultural cultural heritage problems of Wuhan species at present, namely the low level of the agricultural cultural heritage protection of species, decentralized management system of agricultural cultural heritage protection and lack of mining cultural connotation in the protection, some recommendations are put forward, such as increasing the agricultural cultural heritage protection, establishing a unified management mechanism of agricultural cultural heritage protection, and deeply mining the connotation of the agricultural cultural heritage of species.

Key words Species, Agricultural cultural heritage, Protection, Management system, Cultural connotation

1 Introduction

Since the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) proposed the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) project during the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, especially since the rice-fish symbiosis system in Qingtian of China was rated as one of the five GIAHS pilot projects in the world in 2007, the research of agricultural cultural heritage in China has attracted much attention, and the related research has been increasing. The agricultural cultural heritage in a broad sense is the organic combination of nature and humanities, which generally refers to the comprehensive system of the important material and non-material historical relics closely related to the agricultural production and living activities of human beings[1]. At present, the academic circles generally divide the agricultural cultural heritage into ten categories: ruins, engineering, landscapes, settlements, techniques, tools, documents, species, specialties, folklore and culture[2]. Among them, the category of species is an important part of the agricultural cultural heritage. Strengthening the protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species is not only a tool conducive to protecting agricultural cultural heritage, and carrying on the agricultural history and culture, but also an important way to protect the traditional agricultural characteristics, create brand of agricultural products with regional characteristics, increase the income of farmers, and promote regional economic development. Therefore, it is necessary to study the agricultural cultural heritage of species[3].

Wuhan City (113°41′-115°05′ E, 29°58′-31°22′ N), located in the east of Jianghan Plain, has a humid monsoon climate in the north subtropics with abundant rainfall, sufficient sunshine and distinct seasons. The good natural conditions in Wuhan provide the basis for the abundance of agricultural species. There are many records of Wuhan agricultural species in the historical materials. InWuchangCountyChronicleof the Qing Dynasty, there are records about Hongshan Cabbage: "It tastes so good that you can’t find it anywhere else."HuangpiCountyChroniclerecords that Maidiwan radish is one of the famous specialties of Huangpi. It formed a unique product as early as the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and was even listed as a royal tribute in the Ming Dynasty. It has been said in the folk that "the dried persimmons in Taergang, the dates in Zhangjiachong, and the turnips in Maidiwan are all like treasures". The lotus root of Caidian is recorded as: "The flood tide of the riverside villages is approaching the sky, and the wind in the south of the Yangtze River is unusually whistling to the earth. Thousands of hectares of crops under the tall buildings have been blown away, both new and old millets have been emptied."

The protection of the agricultural cultural heritage of the existing species in Wuhan started late, mainly through the development of local varieties. In order to better protect, study and make use of the advantages of agricultural species in Wuhan, on the basis of finding out the species of agricultural cultural heritage in Wuhan, this paper makes a comprehensive analysis of the existing problems in the protection of agricultural cultural heritage in Wuhan, and puts forward some strategies to solve these problems.

2 Present situation

Agricultural species refers to the traditional livestock and poultry and crop species resources which are domesticated and cultivated in the long-term agricultural production practice and inherited up to now. They mainly exist in the form of local varieties. Through the approval of the relevant departments to examine and verify products named after geographical names, it expands the influence of local varieties, and achieves the protection of local varieties. The State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine formulated and promulgated on May 16, 2005ProvisionsfortheProtectionofGeographicalIndicationProducts(hereinafter referred to as Provisions). China implemented the Provisions on July 15, 2005. The State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine administers the protection of geographical indication products throughout the country. In addition, in order to regulate the registration and use of geographical indications for agricultural products, in accordance with the relevant provisions of theLawonQualitySafetyofAgriculturalProducts,MeasuresfortheAdministrationofGeographicalIndicationsofAgriculturalProducts, the Ministry of Agriculture organized and formulated theProceduresforRegistrationofGeographicalIndicationsforAgriculturalProductsandtheStandardsfortheUseofGeographicalIndicationsforAgriculturalProducts, which were promulgated and implemented on August 8, 2008. The protection of the agricultural cultural heritage of the existing species in Wuhan started late, mainly through the development of local varieties.

2.1NationalgeographicalindicationproductsThe term "geographical indication product" in theProvisionsrefers to a product whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are essentially determined by the natural and human factors of the place of origin and which is approved to be named after a geographical name. The products cover Chinese medicinal materials, tea, vegetables, fruit, grain and oil, poultry, livestock, aquatic products, wine, traditional handicrafts and other varieties[4].

From Table 1, it is found that since Jiangxia Liangzi Lake crab was recognized as the national geographical indication product in 2004, Wuhan’s national geographical indication products have increased year by year. At present, there are 14 kinds of national geographical indication products in Wuhan. The national geographical indication products of vegetable are the most, and aquatic products are the second. Among them, there are 3 species of aquatic products, 6 species of vegetables, 1 species of cereal and oil, 1 species of livestock, 1 species of fruit, 1 species of tea and 1 species of processed product. The national geographical indication products of Wuhan are mainly distributed in Huangpi District, Caidian District, Jiangxia District, and Huangpi District has the largest number of national geographical indication products. Among them, there are 2 species in Xinzhou District, 3 in Jiangxia District, 1 in Hongshan District, 3 in Caidian District, 4 in Huangpi District and 1 in Hannan District.

Table1ExistingnationalgeographicalindicationproductsinWuhanCity

Sequence numberApproval timeProduct name Category Area 12008Xinzhou Zhangdu Lake Pelteobagrus fulvidracoAquatic productsXinzhou22004Jiangxia Liangzi Lake crabAquatic productsJiangxia32005Hongshan Brassica pamchinensisVegetablesHongshan42007Caidian lotus rootVegetablesCaidian52015Huangpi Maidiwan radishVegetablesHuangpi62011Huangpi asparagusVegetablesHuangpi72010Jiangxia Fasi riceGrain and oilJiangxia82010Jiangxia Shuan Allium ChineseVegetablesJiangxia92012Hannan sweet cornVegetablesHannan102011Huangpi Jing nectarProcessed prod-uctsHuangpi112013Huangpi yellow cattleLivestockHuangpi122013Caidian melonFruitsCaidian132013Caidian Chenhu Lake Hypophthalmichthys no-bilisAquatic productsCaidian142013Xinzhou Chenglouzhai TeaTeaXinzhou

2.2AgriculturalgeographicalindicationproductsAgricultural product geographical indication is an indication that the agricultural product originates from a specific region, the product quality and related characteristics mainly depend on the natural ecological environment and historical and humanistic factors, and the special agricultural product indication is named by the regional name. According to theMeasuresontheAdministrationofAgriculturalGeographicalIndications, the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the registration of national agricultural geographical indications, and the Agricultural Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the examination and expert evaluation of the registration of agricultural geographical indications. The competent administrative department of agriculture of the provincial people’s government is responsible for the acceptance and preliminary examination of the application for registration of geographical indications of agricultural products within its own administrative area. The expert appraisal committee for registering geographical indications of agricultural products established by the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the expert appraisal. The types of geographical indications for agricultural products are planting, animal husbandry and aquatic products[5].

From Table 2, it is found that since CaidianArtemisiacaidianensiswas rated as the agricultural geographical indication product in Wuhan City in 2014, Wuhan’s agricultural geographical indication products have increased at a rate of 1 to 2 kinds year by year. At present, there are 6 kinds of agricultural geographical indication products in Wuhan, the main product category is planting industry, there is only 1 kind of aquatic product. The agricultural geographical indication products in Wuhan are distributed in Jiangxia District (2 species), Huangpi District (2 species), Xinzhou District (1 species) and Caidian District (1 species).

From Table 1 and 2, we can see that there are some differences and similarities between the existing national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products in Wuhan. The agricultural geographical indication products coincide with national geographical indication products. The Maidiwan radish in Huangpi and the Liangzi Lake crab in Jiangxia are not only the national geographical indication products but also the agricultural geographical indication products. However, the difference between the two is more significant. From the perspective of time, the starting time of agricultural products in Wuhan is later than that of national geographical indication products. The earliest application for national geographical indication (GI) products in Wuhan was made in 2004, while that for agricultural geographical indication products started in 2014. In terms of quantity, there are 14 kinds of national geographical indication products in Wuhan, more than agricultural geographical indication products (6 kinds). From the perspective of influence, the agricultural geographical indication products are more distinctive, and the national geographical indication products are more widely recognized, especially by the government departments, so the brand influence is greater.

Table2ExistingagriculturalgeographicalindicationproductsinWuhanCity

Sequence numberApproval timeProduct name Category Area 12014Caidian Artemisia selengensisPlantingCaidian22015Liji chivePlantingXinzhou32015Maidiwan radishPlantingHuangpi42016Liangzi Lake crabAquatic productsJiangxia52016Jiangxia seedy lotusPlantingJiangxia62017Huangpi water chestnutPlantingHuangpi

2.3LocalcharacteristicagriculturalproductsnotincludedintheprotectionsystemIn addition to national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products, there are many well-known local characteristic agricultural products in Wuhan. These local characteristic agricultural products also have the potential to be selected as national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products, and are also an important component of Wuhan’s agricultural cultural heritage (Table 3).

Table3Localcharacteristicagriculturalproducts

Sequence numberProduct name CategoryArea1Wuchang fishAquatic productsJiangxia2Xugu mushroomPlantingXinzhou3Wulijie soybeanPlantingJiangxia4Yangtong radishPlantingJiangxia

These local characteristic agricultural products have some common features, containing a variety of values, that is, social economic value, historical and cultural value, scientific research and demonstration value, which make the local characteristic agricultural products different from the general agricultural products. (i) Socio-economic value. The unique product characteristics of these agricultural products can bring economic benefits. For example, Xinzhou mushroom is sold to many places, and exported to Europe and America, and Xinzhou has taken the title of "the hometown of the national bisporus mushroom", "the national bisporus mushroom standardized production demonstration area", "the national edible mushroom industry standardized demonstration area" and so on. (ii) Historical and cultural values. These agricultural products have rich historical and cultural heritage. For example, Wuchang fish is famous for drinking Changsha water and eating Wuchang fish in Chairman Mao’s poemPreludetoWaterMelody——Swimming. Geng Xin, the great poet of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, wrote in his poemTenMemorialPoemsinFengheYongfengTemple: "I still miss Nanjing water and finally think about Wuchang fish." Cen Shen, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poemSendingFeiZiBacktoWuchang: "In autumn, I miss Wuchang fish very much and miss the road of Baling with all my heart." (iii) Scientific research demonstration value. These agricultural products need the support of science and technology, through the improvement and rejuvenation work to ensure the development of local varieties. For example, Huangpi Maidiwan radish and other local varieties suffer from serious species degradation, which can not be separated from the support of science and technology[6].

3 Problems

The agricultural cultural heritage of species has outstanding ecological value, social value, cultural value, scientific research value and demonstration value. With the recognition of the multiple values of the agricultural cultural heritage of species, the protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species in Wuhan continues to advance, and the number of national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products is increasing every year, but the actual protection effect is not good. There are the following problems in the protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species.

3.1Lowlevelofprotection

3.1.1Extinction of local species. Along with the rapid development of social economy, high-efficiency agriculture not only enlarges the supply of food but also endangers the existence of agricultural material and cultural heritage. The high-yielding varieties extended on a large scale replace the local varieties which can reflect the biodiversity and make them extinct gradually. For this reason, the government has expanded its product influence to protect the species in the region through the means of geographical indication certification. However, the certification of geographical indications in Wuhan started late, the certified products continue to increase annually, but there are still some precious species of cultural heritage having not been included in the certification system. Because of special production conditions or low production, low prices and other reasons, some local varieties have been on the verge of extinction. For example, Yangtong radish in Jiangxia has been hard to see on the market. Yangtong radish is recorded inWuhanCityRecords, famous for the origin of "Yangtong", and it was planted as early as the late Ming Dynasty. It is characterized by glossy skin, delicate flesh, and can be used for cooking, demonstrating a special flavor so that you never get tired of eating it. Local people praise that: "Yangtong radish is superior to the earth ginseng, sweet and delicious." In the 1980s, the annual planting area of Yangtong radish was over 1 000 mu, with a total output of 1.5 million kg, which was sold to Wuhan, Beijing and other places as a famous and high-quality variety. Now on the market, Yangtong radish has been replaced by white radish, Chunxuelian radish, Korean Baixue radish and other varieties. The root of these varieties is big and they have a long harvest period, beautiful root shape, smooth root skin and good commercial character. However, Yangtong radish has a better taste and rich nutritional value. The extinction of Yangtong radish is only a microcosm of the extinction of local varieties.

3.1.2Lack of the influence of government certification. For the enterprises applying for national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products, the influence of the indication determines the production efficiency of agricultural products. However, at present, enterprises need to pay a certain fee and submit some materials when applying for the public mark (registration certificate) of national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine shall issue the announcement on the use of special marks for geographical indications to protect products by the approved enterprises, and shall issue theCertificateofUseofSpecialMarksforGeographicalIndicationsforAgriculturalProductsto print the special marks as required. The Ministry of Agriculture shall make a registration decision and announce the issuance of theRegistrationCertificateofAgriculturalGeographicalIndicationsofthePeople’sRepublicofChina. Enterprises that meet the conditions may apply for the use of the geographical indications of agricultural products. The use of relevant marks represents being recognized by the country, which can increase the added value of agricultural products and increase the income of agricultural products. However, the social influence and social recognition of national geographical indications and agricultural geographical indications need to be improved. Without a broad mass base, the enterprises using the indications can not achieve the expected benefits.

3.1.3Single protection mode. At present, the protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species in Wuhan is limited to the identification of indications. Through the identification of national geographical indications and agricultural geographical indications, enterprises can be guided to develop local varieties and improve the economic value of local varieties. There are many ways to protect the agricultural cultural heritage of the species. The species development of the enterprises is only one aspect of the protection of the agricultural cultural heritage of the species. There are still many jobs to be done for the protection of the agricultural cultural heritage of the species. There is a gap between Wuhan and other places in the protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species. Domestically, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, has set up a "national waterfowl gene bank" with the largest number of live waterfowl breeds and the largest scale, and currently 18 waterfowl breeds have been collected from all over the world. Internationally, Norway started the Doomsday Project by building a large plant seed freezer in the Arctic. Millennium Seed Bank, UK, has deposited about 300 million plant seeds. Various ways of protection can better protect the agricultural cultural heritage of species.

3.2DecentralizationofthemanagementsystemAt present, China has not yet established a unified management system of agricultural cultural heritage, and has formed a management system of administration by piece combination and decentralized functions, which greatly restricts the protection and management of agricultural cultural heritage. As far as the protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species is concerned, the administration by piece combination and the decentralization of functions are serious. The national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products are subordinated to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Ministry of Agriculture respectively. The main differences between the two are as follows: (i) the opening time is different; (ii) the use range is different; (iii) the administrative organs are different; (iv) the use time is different; (v) the applicant units are different; (vi) the public marks are different; (vii) the declaration focus is different; (viii) the preliminary examination of declarations; (ix) the use of logo declaration is different. Generally speaking, the agricultural geographical indication products are more characteristic and regional. Geographical indication protection products are widely recognized, especially by government departments. But both have overlaps in many respects and there is no direct management agency of the agricultural cultural heritage. The protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species lacks the leadership of the corresponding government departments.

3.3LackofculturalconnotationminingThe protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species is conducted through the application for national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products, placing more emphasis on the development of local varieties rather than the mining of cultural connotation of local varieties. Take Liangzi Lake crab and other brands for example, the purpose of enterprises applying for national geographical indication products and agricultural geographical indication products is to expand the product popularity, but it still needs to be guided in strengthening the cultural connotation of the products. Only by further excavating the cultural value of the agricultural cultural heritage of the species can the economic value of the products be enhanced. For example, wild ginseng in Changbai Mountain is very precious, but cultured ginseng is not so precious. The main reason is that the mystical effect of cultured ginseng in folk culture is completely destroyed by artificial breeding. The folk believe that ginseng not only nourishes the blood, but also has the effect of immortality. It involves the concept of life and death, wild ginseng is worth it, and the essence of the product is the value of folklore. Because of the blessing of folk culture, the wild ginseng of Changbai Mountain is so precious. Separating from the cultural connotation, discussing the agricultural cultural heritage of species is like water without a source[7].

4 Recommendations

4.1EnhancingtheprotectionofagriculturalculturalheritageofspeciesThe protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species in Wuhan started late, so it is necessary to give full play to the advantage of backwardness and strengthen the protection. It is necessary to enhance the public awareness of the agricultural cultural heritage of species and agricultural cultural heritage brands, and attract people from different occupations and regions to participate in the protection of agricultural cultural heritage. We can establish the cooperation mode of government, scientific research unit, enterprise and farmer’s multi-party participation, and jointly create the characteristic local species of agricultural products and promote the brand influence. It is necessary to make full use of the brand of agricultural cultural heritage of species and good ecological environment to develop rich and diverse agricultural products, which will not only increase the income of farmers but also cultivate cultural identity. For the dying endangered species, the government should take measures to set up special funds to protect the agricultural cultural heritage of species. Special protection shall be given to traditional varieties and tax preference shall be given to traditional agricultural brands[8].

4.2EstablishingaunifiedmanagementmechanismfortheprotectionofagriculturalculturalheritageThe government should strengthen the organization and leadership of the agricultural cultural heritage of species and establish a unified management mechanism for the protection of agricultural cultural heritage. The leading group for the protection of agricultural cultural heritage in Wuhan, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, should be set up to guide and coordinate the investigation, protection and management of all kinds of agricultural cultural heritage by coordinating the departments concerned such as the Cultural Heritage Bureau, the Cultural Department, the Archives Department and the Water Conservancy Department. There is a need to allocate special funds to ensure the support and implement the protection of agricultural cultural heritage. At the same time, the establishment of multi-participatory mechanism can not only play an effective role in supervision, but also help to improve the local development capacity. The ecological and cultural compensation mechanism for the protection of agricultural cultural heritage should be established.

4.3DeeplyexcavatingtheconnotationofagriculturalculturalheritageofspeciesThe agricultural cultural heritage of Wuhan City has distinctive characteristics and different species have different cultural connotations. The protection of agricultural cultural heritage of species away from the cultural connotations is like water without source. Therefore, it is necessary to sort out the era and regional characteristics of agricultural cultural heritage of species. There is a need to collect the stories about the agricultural cultural heritage of species, collate, refine and process the cultural connotations and characteristics in the folk stories and folklore, so as to achieve the purpose of deep protection and systematic protection.