Women move mountains
Women are vital to conserve mountain ecosystems. They contribute to resource management, water and food security at household and community levels.
Given their ancestral agroecological knowledge and collective territorial practices, women in mountains can contribute greatly to climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation.
More than 50 percent of women in mountainous regions carry out agricultural activities. Despite their prominent role in mountain food systems, they suffer from limited land ownership, excessive workloads and inadequate access to productive resources, extension services, technologies, credit and education.
As men in mountains migrate to urban centres, women stay behind, managing natural resources, households, communities and everyday survival.
In some mountain societies, women and girls may be more vulnerable to food insecurity due to discriminatory socio-cultural norms and gender stereotypes.