Ecological Product Value Realization in Agricultural Heritage System Sites: A Case Study of Wannian Rice Culture System in China

Abstract

The value realization of ecological products is an important part of rural and agricultural development. As a significant force for protecting traditional agricultural systems and promoting rural revitalization, agricultural heritage systems (AHSs) have formed diverse value realization paths of ecological products in the process of dynamic protection and adaptive management. Through theoretical research, this article analyzed the characteristics of ecological products in AHS sites (EPAHSSs) and summarized the framework of value realization paths of EPAHSSs. Then, the Wannian Rice Culture System in China was selected as a case for conducting empirical research. The results showed that EPAHSSs exhibit obvious uniqueness in terms of climate environment, germplasm resources, farming and breeding models, and cultural heritage. The value realization paths of EPAHSSs mainly include industrial development support, such as the extension of agricultural industrial chains and the development of tourism, as well as fiscal transfer payments. The case analysis results indicated that Wannian County contains a rich variety of ecological products and developed a value realization pathway mainly based on the integration of industries and supplemented by fiscal transfer payments during the process of protection and development. However, further optimization is needed to promote the development of tourism and other paths. This study not only contributes to the sustainable development of the Wannian Rice Culture System, but the proposed framework is also applicable to other heritage systems and similar regions.

1. Introduction

The value realization of ecological products is a pioneering practice in China to protect the ecological environment through economic means [1]. In 2010, the concept of ecological products was first proposed in the National Main Function Area Planning issued by the State Council of China, and it was suggested that providing ecological products should be an important part of development. Since then, the issue of realizing the value of ecological products has been mentioned in various documents, such as “Several Opinions on Improving the Strategy and System of Main Function Zones” and the “National Park Spatial Layout Plan”. In 2021, the “Opinions on Establishing and Improving the Mechanism for Realizing the Value of Ecological Products” was released, which clarified the specific mechanisms for realizing the value of ecological products from the perspectives of value assessment, product operation, and protection compensation. In 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics jointly issued the “Accounting Standards for Total Value of Ecological Products”, which detailed 14 accounting indicators from the perspectives of material supply, regulation services, and cultural services and specified the methods for calculating the value of ecological products, providing a basis for accounting in the value realization of ecological products. With the gradual advancement of relevant policies, regions such as Zhejiang Province, Guizhou Province, and Shenzhen City have successively issued local standards, forming a promotion pattern led by the national overall strategy and driven by local specific practices [2]. Subsequently, research on the value realization of ecological products has gradually expanded into the agricultural and rural fields [3,4]. In 2024, the “Comprehensive Rural Revitalization Plan (2024–2027)” issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council clearly stated that it is necessary to “improve the mechanism for value realization of ecological products, improve the ecological protection compensation system, and promote the market-oriented development of ecological protection compensation”, making the realization of the value of rural ecological products an important driving force for rural revitalization [5,6].

The concept of ecological products originated from “ecosystem services” and can be divided into narrow and broad senses. In the narrow sense, ecological products refer to natural elements that maintain life support systems, ensure ecological regulation functions, and provide environmental comfort, such as clean air, water sources, and soil [7]. In the broad sense, ecological products also include eco-label products such as ecological agricultural products and ecological industrial products produced through green, low-carbon, and circular utilization methods that save resources and benefit the environment [8]. Ecological products have characteristics such as public or quasi-public product attributes, integrity or indivisibility, renewability and scarcity, limited scope and regional continuity, positive externalities, and multi-dimensional values [9,10,11]. Based on this, existing research has explored the types of ecological products in different regions and proposed several related concepts such as agricultural ecological products, forest ecological products, and marine ecological products [12,13]. To more comprehensively sort out the connotation of ecological products, existing research has investigated the types of ecological products from the perspectives of their ecosystem service sources, forms of expression, supply scope, and value realization methods. Studies suggest that ecological products can be classified into supply services, regulation services, and cultural services based on ecosystem service types [14]; into three types: public ecological products, quasi-public ecological products, and business ecological products based on value realization methods [15]; into ecological material products, ecological cultural products, ecological service products, and natural ecological products based on product forms of expression [16]; and into national public ecological products, regional or basin public ecological products, community public ecological products, and “private” ecological products based on product supply scope [17]. According to the supply and demand characteristics of ecological products, they can be further divided into 12 smaller types [18].

Research on the classification of ecological products provides an analytical perspective for exploring the value realization models of ecological products. Existing studies suggest that the value realization of ecological products is an important approach to monetizing the economic, social, and ecological values contained in ecological products through various means such as market mechanisms and policy regulation [19]. It can transform the ecological advantages of a region into the driving force for economic and social development and is a key step in addressing the externalities of the ecological environment [20]. A large amount of exploration has been conducted in the literature on the paths and models of ecological product value realization [21,22,23]. Studies have found that the specific ways of realizing the value of ecological products include ecological compensation, the development of ecological industrialization and industrial ecologicalization [24], and the development of green financial products [25,26]. From the perspective of the dominant subject, they can be divided into three types: government-led, market-led, and government and market co-management [9]. At the same time, rural ecological products have also attracted the attention of researchers. Existing studies have explored the value realization of rural ecological products from perspectives such as “resource-asset-capital” and the commercialization and supply-demand relationship of rural ecological products [27,28]. Combining the public attributes, spatial attributes, and property rights attributes of rural ecological products, the value realization models of rural ecological products are divided into four types: government-coordinated, enterprise-operated, collective-negotiated, and individual-participated [29]. Meanwhile, existing studies have also analyzed the practical experiences of ecological product value realization in different regions and sorted out various typical models such as the “ecological agriculture, culture and tourism” model, the “ecological bank” model, and the ecological compensation and forestry cultivation model based on typical practices [6].

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHSs) are defined by the FAO as remarkable farming systems and landscapes rich in globally significant biological diversity, which have evolved from the co-adaptation of a rural community with its environment and its needs and aspirations for sustainable development [30]. These systems are characterized by rich agricultural biodiversity, complete traditional knowledge and technical systems, and unique ecological and cultural landscapes [31,32]. In China, most Agricultural Heritage System (AHS, including GIAHSs and China’s Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) sites are located in remote areas with relatively low economic development levels and traditional agricultural regions [33], contain diverse ecological products and high ecological products supply capabilities [34,35], and have a strong driving effect on local economic and social development [36,37]. Particularly, the AHS projects represented by the Wannian Rice Culture System are rich in ecological products and have high ecological product values [38]. The value realization of the ecological products in AHS sites (EPAHSSs) is of great significance to local development. Some studies have focused on analyzing the realization of the EPAHSS from the perspective of tourism. The research results showed that the unique advantages of AHS sites can promote the realization of the value of ecological products through the development of tourism, but it is affected by farmers’ capital and supply and demand relationships [39,40]. At the same time, the agricultural development and the integrated development of agriculture and tourism in AHS sites have also received attention [41]. In the past 20 years, China has actively expanded the functions of AHS in the process of dynamic protection and adaptive management, continuously explored the paths for realizing the value of EPAHSSs, and accumulated important experience [42].

Based on the above, it can be seen that against the backdrop of the gradually improving research system on the value realization of ecological products, the value realization of ecological products in AHS sites has attracted the attention of scholars [43]. However, existing research on the value realization of EPAHSSs is relatively scarce and mainly focuses on tourism development, lacking comprehensive reviews and case analyses. On this basis, in order to enrich the research on the realization of EPAHSSs and expand the analytical framework of AHS sites, this study adapts the methods of theoretical analysis and case study to analyze the characteristics and value realization paths of EPAHSSs, proposing a feasible analytical framework for research on the value realization of EPAHSSs. Subsequently, this study selected the Wannian Rice Culture System in China as a study case, conducted an analysis according to the framework, and introduces the EPAHSSs and their value realization methods. The second part of the article reports the research methods and materials, the third part reports the research results, the fourth part conducts a discussion, and the fifth part is a summary.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Methodology

The research on the value realization path of EPAHSSs is a cutting-edge topic with practical significance. This study was conducted from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, analyzing EPAHSSs and their value realization paths.

In the theoretical research section, based on existing literature, this study systematically analyzed the uniqueness of EPAHSSs, mainly focusing on four aspects: germplasm resources, farming and breeding models, growth environment, and cultural connotations. On this basis, this study combined the concept of ecological products and their value realization methods, proposing an analysis framework for the value realization paths of EPAHSSs.

In the empirical research section, based on a typical case, this study, combined with the analysis framework of theoretical research and the characteristics of the case, comprehensively analyzed the types of EPAHSSs and their value realization paths at the case sites. The case study content mainly consisted of three parts: interpreting the connotation of EPAHSSs at the case sites, summarizing the measures and effects of the EPAHSS value realization, and proposing relevant suggestions for promoting the EPAHSS value realization at the case sites.

2.2. Study Area

This study conducted empirical research based on the case of the Wannian Rice Culture System in Jiangxi Province, China.

The Wannian Rice Culture System is located in the northeastern part of Jiangxi Province and the southeast coast of Poyang Lake. It has a rich history and a thriving human civilization and is renowned as the birthplace of world rice cultivation culture and the hometown of Chinese tribute rice. In 2002, through joint agricultural archaeological excavations by China and the United States, the Xianrendong and Diaotonghuan Sites were recognized as the earliest known cultivated rice sites in the world. The core area of the heritage site, Peimei Town Heqiao Village, has high mountains, deep valleys, short daylight hours, clear springs, and water and soil containing various minerals, forming a unique natural environment for cultivating Wannian tribute rice. It still retains the cultivation of the traditional variety “Wuyuan Zao” of Wannian tribute rice. In 2010, the Wannian Rice Culture System was selected as a GIAHS, becoming the second project in China to be included after the Qingtian Rice-Fish Culture System.

The reasons for choosing the Wannian Rice Culture System as a case include several aspects. Firstly, considering the representativeness of the case, it was necessary to select a GIAHS project with higher representativeness and a more complete identification and monitoring mechanism. At the same time, it was necessary to choose the AHS that had been recognized as a GIAHS earlier to ensure that the EPAHSS value realization paths of the heritage site are relatively mature. Secondly, the influence of geographical location and regional policies on the heritage site needs to be excluded. The Wannian Rice Culture System is located in the central region of China and is a GIAHS project with grain as the core crop. The heritage site has a rich variety of EPAHSS types and has accumulated relatively complete value realization paths of EPAHSS. Meanwhile, the Wannian Rice Culture System was recognized as a GIAHS project at an earlier stage, and the heritage site has been less affected by the coastal geographical location and relevant policies during the process of system protection and development. These factors make the research results have higher universality and reference value.

2.3. Data Collection and Processing

In order to comprehensively understand the path for realizing the ecological product value of the Wannian Rice Culture System site, our team conducted research and investigations at the heritage site in July 2024 and March 2025. During this period, our team held discussions with the staff of the department in charge of the Wannian Rice Culture System to gain a detailed understanding of the measures taken locally for realizing the ecological product value and the projects being promoted. Our team also obtained relevant project information and quantitative data. In addition, the team focused on inspecting the core area of the Wannian Rice Culture System “Peimei Town” and conducted research interviews with grassroots managers, farmers, and villagers engaged in rice cultivation to understand the implementation degree of specific measures and their impact on the lives of farmers at the heritage site. These data provided authentic and reliable research materials for the article.

3. Results

3.1. Analysis Framework of EPAHSS Value Realization

3.1.1. The Uniqueness of EPAHSSs

The EPAHSS refers to the ecosystem functions and services of an AHS site and can enter the market for exchange. Specifically, they can be classified into ecological regulation services, ecological material products, and cultural products [44]. Among them, material products refer to the ecological agricultural products of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery as well as raw materials such as water and fuel, which are the material basis for human production and life. Regulatory products refer to the regulatory services, such as biodiversity conservation, water conservation, soil retention, air purification, and climate regulation, which are the ecological basis for maintaining and improving the human living environment. Cultural products refer to intangible products formed during the evolution of the heritage system, such as traditional ecological knowledge; environmentally friendly ecological technologies; as well as traditional knowledge like religious beliefs, festival customs, and ecological cultural landscapes. They possess high ecological and economic value as well as aesthetic and educational value [34]. Compared with general ecological products, the ecological products of AHS sites have distinct uniqueness, which is manifested in their favorable climate conditions, unique germplasm resources, ecological farming and breeding models, and rich cultural heritage.

(1)

A favorable climate and environment: AHS sites are usually located in remote traditional rural areas, preserving traditional ecological knowledge and ecological protection awareness [45]. Over a long period of historical development, they have maintained the ecological environment quality and natural landscape of the AHS sites, providing good regulating and cultural services for the residents. On the one hand, the selection criteria for AHS sites determine that most of them are in areas less affected by modernization, with unique landscapes and high ecological environment quality. On the other hand, influenced by traditional cultures and beliefs such as “harmony between man and nature” and “nature worship”, the residents of the AHS sites have consciously maintained the environment and landscape of the AHS sites in their production and life practices [46].

(2)

Unique germplasm resources: The germplasm resources of AHSs are high-quality varieties preserved by the ancestors through long-term cultivation, domestication, and selection. They usually possess excellent traits such as disease resistance and high yield and have strong adaptability to the natural environment and climate conditions of the AHS sites [47]. They are not suitable for growth in other regions and provide unique agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery products for the residents of the AHS sites. Generally speaking, the traditional germplasm resources of AHS sites have been artificially selected for thousands of years and usually have significant advantages in taste and nutrition. In addition, traditional germplasm resources, after long-term artificial selection and domestication, contain excellent growth characteristics [48] and have high scientific research value.

(3)

Ecological farming and breeding models: The core areas of AHS sites are often located in traditional agricultural areas and are less affected by modern farming and breeding methods. They retain traditional ecological farming and breeding models without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which are important ways to produce organic, green, and ecological agricultural products in the AHS sites. Especially during the long historical evolution, the traditional agricultural production methods of AHS sites have integrated the ecological wisdom of ancient people and formed a mutually beneficial relationship of “harmony and unity” with the natural environment of the AHS sites. For example, the Qingtian Rice-Fish Culture System and Congjiang Traditional Dong’s Rice-Fish-Duck Agroecosystem can maximize the utilization of land, significantly increase the yield per unit of farmland [49], and reduce carbon emissions and other pollution [50]. While ensuring the livelihood of farmers, they promote the sustainable development of the ecological environment of the AHS sites.

(4)

Rich cultural heritage: The planting history of AHS sites is long, and in the course of thousands of years of historical evolution, they have formed rich traditional cultures, providing diverse cultural services for the residents of the AHS sites [34]. The cultural heritage of AHS sites involves various types such as traditional festivals, folk customs, ethnic beliefs and nature worship, village regulations, and other social governance methods [51]. It is an important part of Chinese traditional culture. Among them, traditional festivals, folk activities, and talent performances have become important sources of China’s intangible cultural heritage; traditional buildings and historical relics have become important parts of China’s cultural relics protection units; and village regulations, beliefs, and worship of the AHS sites are rich and diverse and still serve as behavioral norms for the residents today, playing an important role in modern rural governance and other aspects.

3.1.2. Analytical Framework for EPAHSS Value Realization

The uniqueness of EPAHSSs provides more opportunities for the realization of the value of ecological products. Based on the above characteristics, this article, in combination with existing research, summarizes the typical experiences of EPAHSS value realization. In the process of dynamic protection and adaptive management of AHS sites, a value realization pathway for ecological products has basically been formed, mainly through industrial development support and fiscal transfer payments [40,52]. The specific contents are as follows (Figure 1).

(1)

Industrial Development Support

The unique characteristics of EPAHSSs lay the foundation for the industrial development of these sites. During the dynamic protection and adaptive management of agricultural heritage, various AHS sites have delved into the value connotations of their ecological products, fully utilized the advantages of these products, and gradually formed an industrial development support approach mainly focused on extending the agricultural industrial chain and promoting tourism [53]. In the early stage, this value realization approach was mainly driven by the government, but later, it could achieve “hematopoiesis” value realization of ecological products through the expansion of industrial scale and increase in output value.

The ecological product value realization path based on the extension of the agricultural industry chain focuses on ecological agricultural products in heritage areas, mainly including five parts: initial processing of agricultural products, deep processing of agricultural products, product packaging processing, regional brand building, and processing of agricultural and sideline products. Among them, the initial processing of agricultural products and the processing of agricultural sideline products can realize the value of agricultural products as material products themselves. The deep processing of agricultural products, product packaging design, and regional brand building can promote the realization of the ecological value and cultural value of agricultural products. During the value realization process, the initial processing and brand building processes of agricultural products have realized their green, ecological, and organic ecological value and the historical cultural value; the deep processing of agricultural products can fully utilize the value of material products and improve the degree of value realization.

The ecological product value realization methods based on the extension of the agricultural industry chain mainly include product brand enhancement and extension upstream and downstream of the industry chain. First, the government of the heritage area supports the processing industry of advantageous agricultural products. Through AHS brand management and promotion, the market recognition of product value is improved. At the same time, encouraging the application for geographical indication products, organic products, and green products in the heritage area helps to realize the value of ecological products and expand the market. On this basis, the government of the heritage area will promote the cooperation between the agricultural product processing industry and upstream industries through the promotion of development models such as “enterprise + cooperative + farmer”, “enterprise + farmer”, by establishing breeding and farming bases, etc., to extend the industry chain towards the upstream direction [54]. It will also lay the foundation for the sale of ecological products at the heritage site by gradually promoting the development of deep processing products, the construction of industrial parks, the expansion of industrial scale, the establishment of online sales platforms, and the development of regional and international cooperation, thus extending the industrial chain towards the downstream and accelerating the realization of the value of ecological products at the AHS sites.

The pathways for realizing the ecological product value based on tourism development mainly include the growth of resources such as study tours, sightseeing, and health care as well as tourism-supporting industries centered around various specialized sectors such as transportation, accommodation, and cultural creation. These are suitable for regions with good ecological environments, unique landscapes, or regional cultures. Among them, the development of natural landscape resources can promote the realization of the value of ecological regulation services in heritage areas. The development of historical and cultural resources is conducive to the realization of the value of ecological cultural products in heritage areas. Finally, the development of accommodation, food, and cultural creation industries can supplement the realization of the value of ecological cultural products and ecological material products in heritage areas. At the same time, the development of the “tourism+” model can further promote the realization of the value of ecological products in heritage areas by driving the development of surrounding industries.

The ways for realizing the ecological product value based on tourism development mainly include tourism product development and tourism infrastructure construction [47,55,56]. In the process of protecting and managing AHSs, the government of the heritage area actively integrates the ecological regulation services, ecological material products, and ecological cultural products of the heritage area for tourism resource development. Through museum construction, study tour route design, and scenic spot creation, tourism product development and creation are carried out to lay the foundation for the diversified tourism development of the heritage area. At the same time, on the basis of tourism development, the transportation, accommodation, and cultural creation industries in the heritage area are driven to develop further, which will promote the realization of the value of material and cultural products in the heritage area.

(2)

Fiscal Transfer Payments

The implementation path of ecological product value realization based on transfer payments refers to promoting the sustainable development of heritage areas through means such as ecological compensation and other forms of financial transfer payments. It mainly includes three aspects: the protection of genetic resources, the maintenance of production models in heritage areas, and the maintenance of ecosystem regulatory services.

The protection of genetic resources and production methods are typical characteristics of AHS systems, and they face many threats during the protection process of AHSs. Among them, the long history of AHS sites and the development of modern agricultural technologies have led to the fact that the traditional genetic resources of some AHS sites have lower taste and yield compared to modern varieties, and their market competitiveness is relatively weak. At the same time, the modern high-technology agricultural production model and the impact of high-product variety have increased the risk of inheriting the traditional agricultural production model in AHS sites. To maintain the unique genetic resources and farming methods of traditional agriculture systems, many AHS sites have carried out ecological compensation practices [57,58]. Through providing financial subsidies to farmers in heritage areas and increasing purchase prices, they have realized part of the ecological product value of AHSs.

In addition, most AHS sites are located in agricultural areas with good ecological environments. AHS sites often include diverse ecosystems such as mountains, forests, and grasslands, which can maintain the natural environment suitable for human farming and living through regulating functions such as water source conservation and soil retention. This is an important foundation for the long-term maintenance of AHSs. To promote the realization of the ecological regulatory service value of AHS sites and maintain the landscape structure and ecological environment of AHS sites, the governments of heritage areas have carried out land compensation for forest land and reforestation compensation for returning farmland to forest. Through financial transfer payments, these measures have promoted the realization of the value of ecological regulatory services and facilitated the maintenance of the ecosystem of heritage areas.

3.1.3. Supporting System for the Value Realization of EPAHSSs

In the process of measuring the effectiveness of the realization of regional ecological products, scholars have conducted evaluations using indicators such as quantitative measurement and the rate of value realization of ecological products [59,60]. They believe that there are still problems in the current value realization of ecological products in China, such as incomplete ecological product accounting mechanisms, unclear property rights systems, weak financial support, and difficulties in coordinating related stakeholders [61,62,63,64]. Further improvement of the institutional framework, introduction of new technologies, improvement of the green financial system, and establishment of a market trading system for the value realization of ecological products are necessary [65,66,67,68,69,70]. Currently, regarding the value realization path of EPAHSSs, the supporting system includes at least three aspects: financial policy support, technical support, and infrastructure support.

Specifically speaking, financial policy support refers to the financial and policy support from local governments, including fiscal transfer funds and government policies from local governments, as well as financial support from financial institutions and social groups. In the process of realizing ecological products in the heritage area, government transfer payments and green financial products are key steps to promote the development of green finance at the AHS sites and thereby improve the degree of value realization of ecological products [48]. Technical support refers to the formulation of value accounting standards for ecological products and the construction of ecological product trading platforms, including value accounting indicators and methods, management mechanisms of the trading platform, etc. Infrastructure support mainly refers to public infrastructure and digital infrastructure. It is an important basis for supporting the development of the agricultural industrial chain and tourism industry in the heritage area and is also an important factor in promoting local economic and social development.

3.2. The Ecological Products and Value Realization of the Wannian Rice Culture System

3.2.1. The Ecological Products of the Wannian Rice Culture System

The Wannian Rice Culture System has a long history and has given rise to a rich variety of ecological products (Figure 2).

In terms of ecological regulation services, the Wannian Rice Culture System features a three-dimensional landscape structure of “forest—mountain spring—farmland”, providing multiple types of ecological regulation services for the ecological environment of the heritage site. Specifically, the core area of the Wannian Rice Culture System is located in the hilly and canyon area at the northern foot of Huaiyu Mountain. The forest is on the mountain, which can provide ecological functions such as conserving water sources, purifying air, providing a living environment for wild animals and plants, and increasing the organic matter content of mountain springs. In particular, the function of the forest in conserving water sources has resulted in the continuous flow of mountain springs throughout the year. At the same time, the mountain springs flow out from the forest, carrying fallen tree debris and soil minerals, creating a favorable water environment for the growth of the heritage site’s tribute rice. Moreover, the Wannian Rice Culture System has formed rich biodiversity over a long evolution history, including multiple types of ecosystems such as forests and plains, various wild animals and plants, and diverse gene banks, laying the foundation for the ecological cycle of the heritage site.

In terms of ecological material products, the forests, land, and rivers of the heritage site provide ecological products such as water sources, grains, fruits and vegetables, aquatic products, medicinal materials, and wood, providing a wide variety of material products for human survival and human social development. At the same time, human labor, as a typical feature of AHSs, has created diverse and distinctive ecological agricultural products at the heritage site. During the development and evolution of the Wannian Rice Culture System, the main agricultural products of the heritage site have included rice, pigs, wheat, corn, rapeseed, watermelons, and various grains and fruits.

In terms of ecological cultural products, the Wannian Rice Culture System has a history of over ten thousand years of domesticating wild rice by humans, giving rise to rich ecological culture. This is mainly reflected in agricultural techniques, traditional knowledge, dietary culture, and folk customs, making significant contributions to the social harmony and long-term stability of the heritage site. As the earliest known region to start domesticating wild rice, Wannian County has developed the rice planting techniques of “seedling cultivation, transplanting, rice harvesting” in its agricultural history; accumulated rich traditional knowledge; and created traditional agricultural tools such as curved plows, rolling rakes, wheelbarrows, grain buckets, and windmills, providing creative ideas for the modern agricultural development of the heritage site. In addition, the Wannian Rice Culture System embodies excellent traditional folk customs such as harmony between heaven and man, kindness to others, and respect for women’s status and has formed rice farming customs including traditional agricultural beliefs, sacrificial customs, proverbs, and songs, providing an important foundation for the production and life of the people at the heritage site. In 2014, the Wannian Rice Culture System was included in the national intangible cultural heritage.

3.2.2. Ecological Product Value Realization Paths of the Wannian Rice Culture System

At present, Wannian County has carried out value realization paths for the ecological products of the Wannian Rice Culture System, mainly focusing on industrial integration development and supplemented by fiscal transfer payments. The specific measures are shown in the Figure 3.

In terms of fiscal transfer payments, Wannian County actively formulates support measures, providing financial support in areas such as the protection of the germplasm resources of “Wuyuanzao” glutinous rice, the maintenance of production models, and the preservation of natural landscapes. In particular, in order to protect and continuously cultivate the “Wuyuanzao” variety of Wannian glutinous rice, the county government introduced corresponding financial support measures in 2009, namely, purchasing the “Wuyuanzao” variety of glutinous rice from the heritage area at three times the national grain protection price every year. This not only increased the enthusiasm of farmers in the heritage area to grow Wannian glutinous rice but also ensured the dynamic preservation of the “Wuyuanzao” variety. At the same time, the heritage area has intensified efforts to protect the forest and wild animals in the heritage area, providing funds and personnel to carry out forest protection and wildlife protection work, promoting the realization of the value of the ecological regulation services of the heritage area.

In terms of extending the agricultural industrial chain, the Wannian County government actively promotes the development of agricultural product processing and sales industries. The heritage area attaches great importance to the extension of the industrial chain, especially the development of downstream industries such as agricultural product processing, packaging, sales, and transportation. Currently, Wannian County has two national-level, two provincial-level, and five municipal-level agricultural industrialization leading enterprises, processing 600,000 tons of rice annually, and their products are sold throughout the country and overseas markets. Meanwhile, the emergence of farmers’ cooperatives has promoted the continuous extension of the industrial chain to the upstream. From 2010 to 2023, the number of farmers’ professional cooperatives in Wannian County increased by 882, among which 281 are rice planting cooperatives. In terms of terminal product development, Wannian County actively promotes the deep processing of agricultural products, developing deep processing foods such as tsofa, roujiao, and rice noodles around rice. Wannian Gong Group Co., Ltd. (Shangrao, China) has also designed an industrial chain, including production of rice bran oil and rice bran vinegar through the rice grain deep processing project, significantly increasing the types of market sales products and market supply capacity of the heritage area’s material products. With the recognition of the Wannian Rice Culture System, Wannian tribute rice has become well-known to the world. It has now obtained double certifications of China Organic Products and Green Food and has been successfully selected as a national geographical indication product and Jiangxi famous product. At the same time, Wannian County focuses on building regional brands, further enhancing the popularity and reputation of Wannian tribute rice through publicity and promotion. The customer base and demand market for Wannian tribute rice have gradually expanded. Since 2010, the market price of the initial processing products of Wannian tribute rice has increased from the initial CNY 1.5 to CNY 5. Many farmers in the core area of Heqiao Village in the heritage area have preferred to sell Wannian tribute rice through online sales. At the same time, Wannian Gong Group Co., Ltd., relying on the well-known history and cultural connotation of Wannian tribute rice, through rice processing, packaging, brand cultivation, and product marketing, has transformed Wannian tribute rice into multiple high-end products, such as the “Guomi 1512” series of products of Wannian tribute rice. Through the extension of the industrial chain, the value of the ecological products of the heritage site has been realized.

In terms of tourism development, Wannian County fully utilized the agricultural history, traditional knowledge and techniques, agricultural customs, and festivals of the Wannian Rice Culture System as cultural products and realized the value of these cultural products through tourism development. The heritage site established a rice culture park and a rice farming site scenic area based on the Wannian Rice Culture System and created the Wannian Guomin Industrial Park and a study tour route. It also set up a rice farming history exhibition area in the Wannian Museum, providing attractions for local cultural tourism development. At the same time, the Wannian Rice Culture System has unique contents such as Wannian tribute rice and a complete evolutionary chain from wild rice to cultivated wild rice to cultivated rice. These are important materials for the development of study tours at the heritage site and attract tourists and students from all over the country to experience the Wannian rice culture. The planting seasons, farming methods, farming tools, beautiful rice fields, and landscape structures in the Wannian Rice Culture System are all unique resources for rural tourism, providing attractiveness for the development of rural tourism. In addition, the dietary culture of Wannian has laid the foundation for promoting local tourism development and achieving agricultural tourism integration and has promoted the realization of the value of cultural products and some material products.

4. Discussion

The ecological product value realization is of great significance for the economic and social development of regions, especially in rural areas and traditional agricultural areas. It can increase product prices, promote regional economic growth, improve residents’ well-being [71,72], and drive the development of poverty-stricken areas and balanced urban-rural development. The value realization of EPAHSSs is of great significance for the development of AHS sites. In recent years, the growth rate of tourism development at AHS sites has attracted the attention of scholars. Without focusing on specific research areas, studies have explored the value realization of EPAHSSs from the perspectives of tourism routes and the value realization of tourism products [39,40,73]. These explorations are very meaningful but relatively incomplete. Therefore, this article has summarized and concluded based on existing research.

In terms of theoretical research, this article proposed a framework for value realization of EPAHSSs based on its uniqueness. Subsequently, by taking the Wannian Rice Culture System in China as an example, this article specifically analyzed the types and characteristics of the ecological products of this system, the realization paths of the ecological product value, and the supporting system. Through comparative analysis, the advantages and disadvantages of the value realization of the ecological products at this heritage site were obtained, confirming the generalizability of the framework from a side perspective. In the later stage of the AHS protection and utilization, the value realization paths of EPAHSSs will also pay attention to more details, such as the market positioning, consumer groups, and sustainable supply guarantee of EPAHSSs.

In terms of case studies, by looking at the value realization paths of the ecological product in Wannian County, this study has accumulated important experience in the process of continuously promoting the value realization of the ecological products. It provides a valuable experience for other AHS sites and traditional agricultural areas. In particular, the heritage site adopted the “three-fold price” for the purchase of traditional tribute rice varieties, providing a good demonstration effect for other regions. At the same time, Wannian County has built a complete industrial chain for agricultural production, processing, and sales, not only creating a well-known regional characteristic agricultural product brand at home and abroad but also continuously optimizing the front end of the industrial chain and increasing the output of green and organic agricultural products, supporting the operation of the entire industrial chain. These experiences provide important paths for other regions to develop their industries and cultivate excellent regional brands. However, the study also found that in the process of constructing the value realization paths of the ecological products, the heritage site still has room for improvement in tourism development. Currently, Wannian County has promoted the development of study tours in the tourism sector, but there is still a lack of leisure and health care tourism, and the tourism development in some towns still relies on the efforts of some “rural talents”. At the government management level, there are still insufficient policies and measures. At the same time, in terms of enhancing the construction of the product value realization path and supporting system, the heritage site still needs to strengthen measures such as regulating the market value of the product, building platforms for the value realization of ecological products, and promoting the development of green finance.

In addition, the safeguard measures for EPAHSS value realization also need to be given attention and concern. The value realization of EPAHSSs requires certain supporting and guarantee measures. In particular, AHSs are usually located in regions with underdeveloped social and economic development levels. The insufficient infrastructure in the heritage area will affect the effectiveness and degree of realization of the value realization path of the EPAHSS. Therefore, future research and practice should pay more attention to the supporting system for the value realization of the ecological products. Firstly, it is necessary to improve the institutional framework for the value realization of EPAHSSs, attach importance to the introduction and cultivation of professional talents, and enhance the awareness of local managers and residents regarding the value of EPAHSSs. The government needs to improve the market mechanism for value realizing of EPAHSSs; establish green credits, ecological asset mortgages, and other green financial businesses; and enhance the self-sufficiency ability of funds. The value realization of EPAHSSs requires the establishment of a multi-party participation mechanism, guiding and encouraging social forces to participate and forming a management system involving the participation of the government, enterprises, residents, and environmental protection organizations. Secondly, it is necessary to build an ecological product trading platform for AHSs, clarify the ownership of EPAHSSs, formulate ecological product quality standards and value calculation standards, standardize the trading mechanism and management measures, and provide a good market environment and favorable policy environment for the value realization of EPAHSSs. At the same time, it is necessary to improve infrastructure construction, attach importance to the construction of ecological environment conditions and pollution treatment facilities at the AHS sites, and provide a foundation for the value realization of ecological products.

5. Conclusions

The value realization of ecological products is an important approach for China’s ecological civilization. This article, based on existing literature, explores the uniqueness of EPAHSSs and the analysis framework for their value realization paths. Taking the Wannian Rice Culture System in China as the study case, this paper specifically analyzes this EPAHSS and its value realization paths at the heritage site.

The research results showed that the uniqueness of this EPAHSS mainly lies in four aspects: favorable climatic conditions, unique germplasm resources, ecological farming models, and rich cultural heritage. The value realization paths mainly include extending the agricultural industrial chain, developing tourism, and providing fiscal transfer payments. These require a supporting system of financial policies, technologies, and infrastructure. The case study results indicated that the ecological products of the Wannian Rice Culture System include ecological regulation services such as water conservation and air purification, ecological material products such as grains and vegetables, ecological cultural products such as the history of wild rice domestication and rice farming customs, and so on. During the process of protection and development, a value realization path mainly based on industrial integration and supplemented by fiscal transfer payments was formed. In addition, the article discusses the applicability of the analysis framework for the value realization paths of EPAHSSs, identifies the shortcomings of the value realization of ecological products in the Wannian Rice Culture System, and proposes future research directions.

However, this study still has certain limitations. Firstly, this study did not cover different types or regions of GIAHSs. In subsequent research, it is necessary to conduct classified and comparative studies on the GIAHS project to explore the impact of different management and protection measures on EPAHSS value realization. Additionally, this study did not list specific indicators to judge the effectiveness of EPAHSS value realization paths. In the future, more research is needed to combine it with a quantitative assessment for more in-depth exploration.