Focus on . . . Mountains
Cold, remote, mysterious and dangerous, the world's mountain ranges have, for much of human history, provoked fear, awe and in some cultures, veneration. And perhaps rightly so, for in the cycle of life on Earth, mountains play a role the extent of which we are only beginning to fully understand. Home to rain-clouds, streams and forests, they provide water and power for most of us; and neglect of upland ecosystems can lead to disaster - flood or drought - on a terrifying scale. Many mountain communities feel that their livelihoods are under immense pressure, and for farmers, the causes of that pressure are clear: short growing seasons, thin soils and poor transport links, combined with ageing population and a declining natural resource base. Safe and sustainable ways forward, offering genuine hope and security, are hard to find. Yet they do exist, and in this 'focus on', we offer you the chance to explore some of those paths which mountain communities from around the world are hoping will lead them to a brighter, more secure future.
Mountains make up one-quarter of the world's landscape and they are the source of eighty per cent of the world's fresh water supply. Some two billion people worldwide depend on food produced in mountainous regions and many more benefit from the minerals, timber and hydro-electricity...
Hill-farming: the changing view
Faced with falling yields from their sloping or terraced fields, most hill farmers take one of three options: clear new land for farming, if available; resign themselves to smaller harvests; or leave the area for pastures new - often urban ones. There is of course a fourth option...
Moving mountain communities out of poverty
Encircled by snow-capped peaks, the weekly livestock market in the valley of Kochkor is in full swing. As usual, trade is brisk. Walking between the clusters of cattle, sheep and horses, farmer Ismael Kharab enthuses about the quality of stock that the mountain pastures and farmers produce. However, despite fierce farming pride, there are profound problems in mountain farming communities in Kyrgyzstan...
The Altiplano region of southern Peru is home to some of the country's poorest farming families. Primarily growing for subsistence on poor land that is frequently subject to frost and drought, farmers have few opportunities for making a cash income. But the high altitude rangeland is also home to the alpaca (Lamas pacus) and this hardy animal is giving local fibre producers access to the fashion houses of North America and Europe...
Herbalist Sabira Berdielieva stoops and pulls gently at the tough, low-growing plant at her feet. "You see this plant in my hand? It is good for treating headache and stomach-ache. People always think that medicines come from rainforests but our mountains are a source of medicines too...
Problems and answers in the eastern Himalayas
Whether Chinese or Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese or Bhutanese, the inhabitants of the Hindu Kush - Himalayas have much in common. With few sources of income apart from farming, the region's water, soils, forests, pastures and biodiversity are all rapidly becoming depleted. While government support for agriculture in this mountainous region has been poor...
"Mountains play a double role in my life: they are both my partner and my enemy," says Ryszard, an agricultural engineer in the Sudety mountains of Poland. He is one of 350 men and women whose voices and views have been recorded by the Panos Institute and their partners in "High Stakes - the future for mountain societies". Interviews have been gathered in ten countries...
