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Why is food insecurity rising in mountains?

08.06.2016

There are many interrelated factors behind this troubling trend, explains Andrew Taber of The Mountain Institute, referring to data revealed by “Mapping the Vulnerability of Mountain Peoples to Food Insecurity”, a study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization in collaboration with the Mountain Partnership Secretariat. According to a blog post, written by Taber in The New Security Beat, the reasons have to do with: growing populations, youth exodus, chronic invisibility, environmental change and neglect by the development community.

Moreover, he says that The Mountain Institute and other groups have found cost-effective ways to build highland prosperity through unique and high-value products and services. These sustainable livelihoods projects include cultivating medicinal and aromatic plants and developing ecotourism, some with quite favourable returns on investment.

The blog post goes on to outline why you should care and proposes ‘mountain equity’ as a way of bringing focused attention to the needs of marginalized communities and environments at higher altitudes.

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Photo: Florencia Zapata