Agricultural Cultural Landscapes. A reflection on how UNESCO and FAO have considered their Spanish representations

The purpose of this article is to perform a comparative analysis of the way that agricultural cultural landscapes are considered in the UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and the FAO GIAHS program from the perspective of their management for their preservation, legacy, and advancement. An epistemological and normative approach is followed by an analysis that focuses on the Spanish places inscribed on the lists of these two international instruments. The sources are the files available on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website and the FAO GIAHS portal. Their detailed analysis enables the identification and characterization of the agro- heritage dimension of these landscapes and an in- depth examination of their prospects. A close inspection of the two programs' differences and complementarities enables the conclusion that they face serious difficulties for dealing with the declining role of agriculture in the concerned properties and the consequent associated loss of heritage authenticity. The inevitable search for synergies between the two programs is also endorsed with a proposal for some ways for these to be explored.