IFLA EUROPE launched “Rural Landscapes Photo Competition”!
IFLA EUROPE RURAL LANDSCAPE PHOTO COMPETITION launched!
Agricultural Landscapes take up 39% of European lands, presenting a palimpsest of human interaction with nature and creating an extensive ‘green infrastructure’, when sustainably cultivated, with socio-ecological impact to everyday lives of people.
Yet, these valuable landscapes, often in close relation with urbanised lands, do not receive the acknowledgement, the ontological planning and the design they deserve.
Unknown to most of citizens, the agricultural landscapes are seen as a background of holidays, many times idealised as ‘scenery’ and therefore, Landscape Architects are committed to take actions towards their recognition as productive, important to produce ecosystem services and also recreational valuable place on earth.
IFLA Europe Agricultural Landscape Working Group invites professionals and non-professionals to submit images of their ‘idealised’ but also of their everyday agricultural landscapes in an attempt to include as many stakeholders as possible! Share our vision and submit your photograph!
Who can participate?
Participants from all over Europe are asked to submit a photograph (at least 300 dpi) representing the main characteristics of the traditional agricultural/forestry/livestock landscape and seascape. “Traditional” is meant as a sustainable, important for the identity of the local communities, their sense of belonging to the places, productive landscape, expression of the co-evolution between men and environment and of the relationship nature-culture. The cultivating/producing technique must be briefly described (max 300 words), and the relation between local community and landscape.
The explanation of different criteria is given below:
- Food and livelihood security
The proposed agricultural system contributes to food and/or livelihood security of local communities. This includes a wide variety of agricultural types such as self-sufficient and semi-subsistence agriculture where provisioning and exchanges take place among local communities, which contributes to rural economy.
- Agro-biodiversity
Agricultural biodiversity, as defined by UN FAO (*) as the variety of animals, plants and micro-organisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture, including crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. The system should be endowed with globally significant biodiversity and genetic resources for food and agriculture (e.g., endemic, domesticated, rare, endangered species of crops and animals).
- Local and Traditional Knowledge systems
The system should maintain local and invaluable traditional knowledge and practices, ingenious adaptive technology and management systems of natural resources, including biota, land, water which have supported agricultural, forestry and/or fishery activities.
- Cultures, Value systems, Recreational Values and Social Organisations
Cultural identity and sense of place are embedded in and belong to specific agricultural sites. Social organisations, value systems and cultural practices associated with resource management and food production may ensure conservation of and promote equity in the use and access to natural resources. Such social organisations and practices may take the form of customary laws and practices as well as ceremonial, religious and/or spiritual experiences.
- Landscapes and Seascapes Features
Landscapes or seascapes that have been developed over time through the interaction between humans and the environment, and appear to have stabilized or to evolve very slowly. Their form, shape and interlinkages are characterized by long historical persistence and a strong connection with the local socio-economic systems that produced them. Their stability, or slow evolution, is the evidence of integration of food production, the environment and culture in a given area or region. They may have the form of complex land use systems, such as land use mosaics, water and coastal management systems.
Judging criteria
The judges will look for a creative, engaging and inspiring submission. The entries will be judged on:
- Relevance of the entry to the competition topic
- Significance level and uniqueness of the rural landscape submitted
- Creativity expressed through the photo and the description
Jury
1. Clelia Puzzo, UN FAO-GIAHS Programme
2. Maguelonne Dejeant-Pons, Council of Europe
3. Chantal van Ham, Acting Director of IUCN European Regional Office
4. Hans Renes, President EUCALAND
5. Representative of IFLA Europe Agricultural Landscapes Working Group
Award:
1st Prize: 500 € and a comprehensive article including additional images and documentation of the context of the awarded images which will be published on the IFLA Europe website and social media.
2nd -5th Prize a comprehensive article including additional images and documentation of the context of the awarded images which will be published on the IFLA Europe website and social media.
The awarded image as well as shortlisted photographs will be published as postcards with additional information about the context of the image.
Deadlines:
31 January 2022 - Launch of the Competition
15 June 2022 - Deadline for sending the entries
30 June 2022 - Jury review
15 September 2022 - Proclamation of the winner
October 2022 - Virtual Exhibition with eminent guide (cicerone) presentations. Video will be presented at IFLA Europe General Assembly 2022
Send your competition material by email to:
IFLA Europe Secretariat
Daniela Micanovic-Franckx, Executive Secretary
Email: competition@iflaeurope.eu
For more details on how to apply and what material needs to be sent, please visit IFLA EUROPE Rural Landscapes Photo Competition website.
