The Second Conference of East Asia Research Association for Agricultural Heritage Systems (ERAHS) was successfully held in Sado City, Japan from June 22^nd to 26^th, 2015 and received more than 120 participants from various countries including China, Japan, Korea and Philippines. This conference was organized by ERAHS and Sado City and co-organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations University (UNU), Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS-IGSNRR), Korea Rural Heritage Association (KRHA), Japanese GIAHS Network (J-GIAHS) and Niigata Prefecture, it was also supported by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

The conference aimed to promote, through information and experience sharing, the development of exchanges and collaboration among China, Japan and Korea, on the theme of “Rural Revitalization in Marginal Area: Biodiversity and Traditional Agriculture”. During the conference, the Chinese delegation gave some presentations and posters introducing progresses and perspectives of GIAHS in China, research on multiple values evaluation, community supported agriculture, agri-cultural heritage tourism, traditional ecological knowledge, conservation and management mechanisms, typical successful stories, as well as the general introduction of China’s eleven GIAHS sites and some candidates. An exhibition of China’s progress in GIAHS conservation and agricultural products from GIAHS sites was also held.

In light of the agricultural history linkages among China, Japan and Korea, and their respective domestic progress and international influence with regard to GIAHS; during the international workshop in Korea of August, 2013, Professor MIN Qingwen from CAS-IGSNRR suggested establishing a new platform for academic exchange among the three countries, which received a warm welcome. In October of 2013, the East Asia Research Association for Agricultural Heritage Systems (ERAHS) was formally established in Beijing. The First ERAHS Conference was held in Xinghua City, Jiangsu Province, China from April 7^th to 11^th of 2014. As a result, the Third ERAHS Conference will be held in Korea in June of 2016.