For millions of people living in mountainous areas, hunger and the threat of hunger are nothing new. Harsh climates and the difficult, often inaccessible terrain, combined with political and social marginality make mountain peoples vulnerable to food shortages.

As of 2015, one in three mountain people in developing countries was facing hunger and malnutrition.

The 2015 study Mapping the vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity presents a geographic and demographic picture of the world’s mountain areas and assesses the vulnerability to food insecurity of mountain dwellers in developing countries, based on a specially designed model. The final section presents an alternative and complementary approach to assessing hunger by analyzing household surveys.

The results show that the living conditions of mountain dwellers have continued to deteriorate between 2002 and 2015. Global progress and living standard improvements did not appear to have made their way up the mountains and many mountain communities lagged behind the full eradication of poverty and hunger.

This 66-page publication gives voice to the plight of mountain people and sends a message to policy-makers on the importance of including mountain development in their agendas as well as specific measures and investments that could break the cycle of poverty and hunger of mountain communities and slows outmigration from mountain areas.

Updated information available: see the 2020 publication Vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity: updated data and analysis of drivers

Earth Debate: Food Security – How Do We Feed 9 Billion People in 2050?

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The Earth Debates, organized by the Museum of Natural History of the United Kingdom, in collaboration with the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future and the British Council, will be webcast live from the UK's MSN, on 9 April. A panel of leading experts chaired by Richard Black, the BBC's...

The water-energy-food nexus: why mountains matter

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Together with the Government of Nepal and ICIMOD, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat has organized a side event on "The water-energy-food nexus: why mountains matter". The side event will take place on Monday 26 March 2012 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, back to back with the 3rd Intersessional...

The water-energy-food nexus: why mountains matter

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Gender and Climate - Launch of FAO and CGIAR Training Guide

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The Training Guide “Gender and Climate Change Research in Agriculture and Food Security for Rural Development” is now available online. The guide was jointly developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) of the Consultative Group...

European Mountain Convention - 2-4 October 2012, Chambery, France

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The European Mountain Convention will take place this year from 2 to 4 October 2012 in Chambery, France. The Convention is organized by the European Association for Mountain Areas (Euromontana) in cooperation with the French region Rhône Alpes. The three-day conference will feature discussions on several topics related...