Mountain Agriculture
Mountain agriculture lies at the backbone of life in the Alps. It ensures a living for mountain people. It provides food. It shapes Alpine landscapes. It preserves traditions and knowledge. However, mountain agriculture faces numerous challenges. First and foremost, the natural conditions and structure of the Alpine territory are challenging. The Alps are characterized by a limited availability of arable land, steep slopes that make farming particularly labour-intensive and a scarcity of infrastructure in the more remote areas. At the same time the depopulation trends that characterize mountain areas in favour of cities and flat lands put an additional strain on Alpine farming.
The Framework Convention states in article 2, paragraph 2(g) that the general objective for mountain agriculture is "to maintain the management of land traditionally cultivated by man and to preserve and promote a system of farming which suits local conditions and is environmentally compatible, taking into account the less favorable economic conditions”.
Protocols and declaration
- Mountain Farming Protocol
- Declaration on Mountain Farming (2011) - only in German, French, Italian and Slovenian
Further references to mountain agriculture also in the Nature Protection and Landscape Conservation Protocol, the Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Protocol, the Tourism Protocol and the Soil Conservation Protocol.
Thematic working body
- Mountain Agriculture Platform
Publications and documents
- Alpine Signals 8: Mountain Agriculture (2017)
- Results of the Platform's consultation in the context of quality labelling - updated with amendments on the glyphosate and GMO issues (2016) - only in German, French, Italian and Slovenian
- Statement on the contribution of mountain agriculture to food safety in the Alpine Convention perimeter (2016) - only in German, French, Italian and Slovenian
- Position paper of the Mountain Agriculture Platform prepared for the Mountain Farming Conference in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, October 2016 - only in German, French, Italian and Slovenian
- Results of the discussion of the Mountain Farming Platform on marketing, quality and labelling issues (2013) - only in German, French, Italian and Slovenian
- 3rd Report on the State of the Alps: Sustainable rural development and innovation (2011) - summary and long version
- Sustainable mountain agriculture – Basis for a vibrant Alpine region - only in German, French, Italian and Slovenian
Projects
- International Conference on the Future of Mountain Agriculture in the Alps (2017)
- AlpES (Alpine Space Programme) – Alpine ecosystem service mapping, maintainance and management project (2015-2018)
- Alpen-Forum-Innsbruck (2015-2017)
- We are Alps Tour 2014
