The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has used International Mountain Day today to talk about the importance of investing in sustainable agriculture.
Around one billion, or 13% of the world’s population, live in mountainous areas, and they face huge challenges in relation to food production.
“One in three mountain people in developing countries is vulnerable to food insecurity. For rural areas, it is one out of every two people,” said Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General.
These areas are home to 60-80 percent of the world’s freshwater as well as high-quality foods and products such as coffee, cocoa, honey, herbs and spices, according to an FAO list of eight reasons mountains matter.
“Investing in sustainable agriculture in mountain regions is central to the response to climate and migration challenges as it promotes the adaptation to and mitigation of climate change and reduces other root causes of migration such as rural poverty and food insecurity,” added Semedo.
