Landscape agricultural heritage of the Vylkove town
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26565/2410-7360-2026-64-10Keywords:
agricultural landscape, agricultural production system, agricultural heritage, cultural heritage, GIAHS, geographical indications, Vylkove, the Danube DeltaAbstract
In Ukraine, the topic of agricultural heritage remains insufficiently researched despite the fact that such objects correspond to the concept of national cultural and landscape heritage. Research into Ukrainian agricultural landscapes as cultural heritage is extremely relevant and contributes to the scientific understanding of unique forms of traditional land use, the formation of a basis for their protection, and their integration into strategies for the sustainable development of rural areas.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the agricultural landscape heritage of the Vylkove region in order to determine strategic directions for its preservation in the context of sustainable regional development. Thus, the search for examples of Ukrainian agricultural landscapes, as a result of the functioning of sustainable traditional farming systems in certain areas, determined the object of the study: the agricultural production system of the town of Vylkove, formed by generations of farmers and fishermen of the Ukrainian Danube region (Vylkivska local community, Izmail district, Odesa region).
The research focuses on analyzing the natural basis for the formation of agricultural landscapes in the region and identifying the social and cultural prerequisites for the formation of agricultural production systems; analyzing the current condition of the traditional agricultural production system and identifying promising directions for the protection and preservation of agricultural landscapes.
The methodological basis is the concept of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), including criteria for selecting territories for inclusion in the list of valuable sites, provisions for the classification of agricultural heritage sites, and the system of protected geographical indications (GI) including the formation of a list of guaranteed traditional characteristics of Ukraine.
The main results are that the landscapes of the town of Vylkove: are developing and characterized by stable functioning and sufficient agrobiodiversity; are the basis for the cultivation of valuable agricultural crops and species (grapes «Novak» and «Dunayka», etc.) and are distinguished by their uniqueness, as they operate under the sustainable management of local farmers (arable farmers, livestock farmers, fishermen, etc.) to support livelihoods, adaptive management, and knowledge sharing. Therefore, in conclusion, we note that the results of the study confirm the uniqueness of the agricultural production system of the town of Vylkove as a potential object of national cultural heritage protection, and the agricultural production system of the city of Vylkove can be considered a valuable object of landscape agricultural heritage, combining natural, cultural, and socio-economic dimensions. Its preservation and integration into modern sustainable development strategies is an important task for both the local community and state policy in the field of cultural and natural heritage protection.
References
Grodzynskyi, M. D. (2005). Landscape cognition: Place and space (1). Publishing and Printing Center “Kyiv University”.
Petlin, V. M. (2006). Constructive landscape science. Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Press.
Council of Europe. (2000). European Landscape Convention (European Treaty Series No. 176). https://rm.coe.int/16807b6bc7
Arnés García, M., Yagüe, J. L., de Nicolás, V. L., & Díaz-Puente, J. M. (2020). Characterization of globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) in Europe. Sustainability, 12(4), Article 1611. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041611
Manrique Anticona, C. E., Yagüe Blanco, J. L., & Pascual, C. (2023). Characterization of potential Spanish territories for creating a national network associated with the globally important agricultural heritage systems. Land Use Policy, 131, 106667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106667
Yadav, K., & Jin, J. (2024). Exploring sustainability through existing and potential GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems). Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0068.v1
Tarolli, P., & Straffelini, E. (2020). Agriculture in hilly and mountainous landscapes: Threats, monitoring and sustainable management. Geography and Sustainability, 1(1), 70–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2020.03.003
Yiu, E., Jang, B., Owada, J., Jeong, M., & Hwang, D. (2022). Globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) monitoring and evaluation manual: A technical reference. United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.53326/FMNS6151
Jiao, W., Yang, X., & Min, Q. (2022). A review of the progress in globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) monitoring. Sustainability, 14(16), Article 9958. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169958
Pomatto, E., Devecchi, M., & Larcher, F. (2022). Assessment of the terraced landscapes’ integrity: A GIS-based approach in a potential GIAHS-FAO site (Northwest Piedmont, Italy). Land, 11(12), 2269. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122269
Nomura, H., Hong, N. B., & Yabe, M. (2018). Effective use and management of Kunisaki Peninsula Usa GIAHS Long Trail - A sustainable tourism model leading to regional development. Sustainability, 10(2), Article 497. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10020497
Kohsaka, R., Matsuoka, H., Uchiyama, Y., & Rogel, M. (2019). Regional management and biodiversity conservation in GIAHS: Text analysis of municipal strategy and tourism management. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 5(1), 124–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/20964129.2019.1610336
Koohafkan, P. (2019). Globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS): A legacy for food and nutrition security. In B. Burlingame & S. Dernini (Eds.), Sustainable diets: Linking nutrition and food systems (pp. 204–214). CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781786392848.0204
Yang, J., Huang, S., & Cheablam, O. (2024). Tourism perceptions and subjective well-being: Insights from GIAHS sites. Journal of Human, Earth, and Future, 5(4), 614–628. https://doi.org/10.28991/HEF-2024-05-04-06
Wang, B., He, S., Min, Q., Cui, F., & Wang, G. (2021). Influence of residents’ perception of tourism’s impact on supporting tourism development in a GIAHS site: The mediating role of perceived justice and community identity. Land, 10(10), 998. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10100998
Agricultural heritage around the world (2025). Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). FAO. https://www.fao.org/giahs/around-the-world/en
Agnoletti, M., Santoro, A., Fiore, B., Piras, F., Romano, F., & Bazzurro, A. (2023). Agricultural heritage systems in Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44881-2
Thorbeck, D. (2019). Agricultural landscapes: Seeing rural through design. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315142869
Arion, O. V. (2024). Geographical indications and traditional products as the basis of enogastronomic tourism: Significance for the development of rural communities (on the example of Italy). Journal of Geology, Geography and Geoecology, 33(1), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.15421/112401
Polyvach, K. (2023). Cultural landscape as heritage: Proposals for Ukraine from the experience of certain European countries. Visnyk of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Series Geology, Geography, Ecology, (59), 190–208. https://doi.org/10.26565/2410-7360-2023-59-14
Reynard, E. (2023). Agricultural landscapes: Tangible and intangible values of cultural landscapes. In The Overarching Issues of the European Area: Moving Towards Efficient Societies and Sustainable Ecosystems (89–103). https://doi.org/10.21747/978-989-9082-88-5/ovea7
Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage. (1972). UNESCO. https://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf
Guidelines for developing a GIAHS proposal document. (2023). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://openknowledge.fao.org
Nagata, A., & Yiu, E. (2021). Ten years of GIAHS development in Japan. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 12(4), 567–577. https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764X.2021.04.014
Law of Ukraine No. 752-XIV. (1999). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/752-14
Law of Ukraine No. 2572-IX. (2022). On the peculiarities of legal protection of geographical indications for agricultural products and food products, protection of rights and application of quality schemes, including traditional guaranteed features for agricultural products and food products. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2572-20
Likhosha, L. V. (2004). Dynamics of the Kiliya part of the Danube Delta. Odesa National University Herald. Geography and Geology, 9(4), 56–67. https://dspace.onu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/17137
Climate-Data.org. (2025). Climate table: Weather by month in Vylkove. https://en.climate-data.org/europe/ukraine/odessaoblast/vylkove-33596/
Atlas of the Environment of Odesa Oblast. (2020). Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of Odesa Regional State Administration. https://ecology.od.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/old-files/ecology_portal/doc/atlas_odesa-region_2020-5.pdf
Biotopes of the Steppe Zone of Ukraine. (2020). M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. DrukART. https://www.botany.kiev.ua/doc/diduch_biotopy.pdf
Bushuiev, S., Hoch, I., Demchenko, V., Khudyi, O., & Balatskyi, K. (2020). Modern aspects of study and protection of sturgeon populations in Ukraine. WWF-Ukraine. https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/__new__.pdf
Dunaisky: The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. (n.d.). UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/dunaisky
The Black Sea Region. Europe’s biodiversity - biogeographical regions and seas. EEA Report 1/2002. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/report_2002_0524_154909
Dniester–Lower Danube. (n.d.). Freshwater Ecoregions of the World. https://www.feow.org/ecoregions/details/418
Pontic Steppe. (n.d.). One Earth. https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/pontic-steppe/
Iliescu, O. (1989). Contributions à l’histoire des colonies génoises en Roumanie aux XIIIe–XVe siècles. Revue Roumaine d’Histoire, 28, 25–52.
Hosmer, D. (1940). Caviar fishermen of Romania from Vâlcov, the “Little Venice” of the Danube Delta: Bearded Lipovans go down to the Black Sea. National Geographic.
National composition of cities (2001 census): Odesa Oblast. (n.d.). State Statistics Service of Ukraine. http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/general/nationality/odesa/
Misto Vylkove, Vylkivska hromada. https://vylkivska-gromada.gov.ua/misto-vilkove-13-55-49-13-03-2018/
Zocchi, D. M., Motuzenko, O., Stryamets, N., Fontefrancesco, M. F., Sõukand, R., & Pieroni, A. (2022). The Ark of Taste in Ukraine: Food, knowledge, and stories of gastronomic heritage. University of Gastronomic Sciences. https://www.unisg.it/assets/ADG_UCRAINA_EN_WEB.pdf
Petrova O. (2021). Danube traditions of hospitality: the Danube Hospitality gastronomic heritage festival in the city of Vylkove. Ukrainian Center for Cultural Studies. https://uccr.org.ua/news/dunajski-tradytsii-hostynnosti-festyval-hastronomichnoispadshchyny-dunajski-hostyny-v-misti-vylkove/
Ivanova, L. (2021). Traditions of Lipovan cuisine: Danube fish soup with salamur. Ukrainian Center for Cultural Studies. https://uccr.org.ua/news/tradytsii-lypovanskoi-kukhni-dunajska-iushkaz-salamurom/
Mayor’s report on the work of the Vilkovo City Council and its executive bodies for 2022. https://vylkivska-gromada.gov.ua/news/1677761021/
