The “floating gardens” of Bangladesh and mountain farming in Japan are among four traditional farming systems declared “globally important agricultural heritage systems” by the Food and Agriculture Organization. With the new designations, there are 36 agricultural heritage systems in 15 countries. The FAO says small-scale and family farmers “can offer real solutions for food security, the conservation of natural resources and sustainable rural development.” The four new systems are Bangladesh’s floating gardens, a hydroponics systems used in flood areas; the Nagara River system in Japan, where upstream forest management assures clear water for fisheries downstream; the Minabe-Tanage Ume region of Japan, where forests are maintained on landslide-prone slopes; and the Takachihogo-Shiibayama region of Japan, where cattle, rice and tea are intermingled with timber production on steep mountains.