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

Submissions for UN report on mountains

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The Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) is currently compiling summaries of the most important results of mountain development activities since July 2013 for the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Report on Sustainable Mountain Development.

Now requested every three years, the MPS and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations,...

Our Journey in 2015: Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report

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The Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) outlines its key achievements in promoting sustainable mountain development (SMD) in its 2015 annual report. The annual report describes the Secretariat’s work in advocacy, communication and knowledge management, promoting International Mountain Day, brokering joint action and leading capacity development initiatives. One of the its most...

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FAO meeting discusses hunger in the mountains

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The findings of the report, “Mapping the vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity”, were presented during an event at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters on 24 February 2016. Moderated by René Castro Salazar, FAO Forestry Assistant Director-General, the meeting was an...

Mapping the vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity

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Dushanbe Forum of Mountain Countries - 2015: Water and Mountains

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More than 120 representatives of organizations from across Central Asia and from around the world whose work is dedicated to the concerns of mountain societies and environments, gathered in Dushanbe for the first ever Forum of Mountain Countries taking place in Central Asia, to share perspectives and best practices on...

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Mountain course focuses on food security

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Twenty-four participants from 22 countries on three continents took part in the eighth edition of the International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) from 24 June to 3 July 2015. The course was organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, the University of...