Agricultural Development in the Highlands

Joachim von Braun

Director General

International Food Policy Research Institute

Lhasa

July 24, 2005

Overview

Highlands in the international agenda

Highland environments in the world and Asia

Food security and nutrition

Challenges to agricultural development

Strategies for agricultural development

Highlands in the global agenda

Chapter 13 on Agenda 21 at the UN Earth Summit (1992) is devoted to mountains

International Year of Mountains (2002)

Mountain Forum

Mountain Partnership

CGIAR Global Mountain Program, CGIAR African Highlands Initiative

Mountain environments in the world

12 % of world population lives in mountain

areas (720 million people)

40 % of world population occupies the

watershed below mountain areas

Half of the world’s population depend

directly or indirectly on mountains

Distribution of mountain population by region

Total mountain population: 720 millions

Source: Huddleston et al. 2003

Asia and Pacific

46%

Sub-Saharan

Africa

12%

Near East and

North Africa

14%

Countries in

transition

4%

Developed

Countries

8%

Latin America

and Caribbean

16%

Rural/ Urban Population in Mountain Regions

Rural

86%

Urban

14%

Urban

47%

Rural

53%

Urban

22%

Rural

78%Asia and

Pacific

Sub Saharan Africa

Latin America and

Caribbean

Source: Huddleston et al. 2003

Mountain area in developing countries by type of land

Barren land

33%

Closed forest

25%Grazing land

25%

Cropland

7%

Protected area

10%

Source: Huddleston et al. 2003

Main farming systems in mountain regions

8%

8%

10%

30%

8%

5%

4%

16%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Pastoral

Upland extensive

mixed

Highland mixed

Upland intensive

mixed

Percentage of rural mountain

population

Percentage of mountain area

Source: Huddleston et al. 2003

South and Central Asia highlands

Pastoral systems predominate

Meat and wool production are main sources

of income

Excessive animal population and poor

grazing causes erosion and degradation of

open pastures.

Deforestation poses major threats

East and Southeast Asia highlands

Heavily populated and overwhelmingly rural

Extremely small landholdings, low crop production per person

Farmers increasingly moving into marginal sloping lands to survive.

Highland regions can be productive, e.g. Slopes of southern China

o moderate altitudes and gentle slopes

o rice and wheat as staples

o livestock for meat and income

o good links to markets

Food security and nutrition in highlands

Half of mountain population in developing

countries (250-370 million people) are

vulnerable to food insecurity (FAO 2002)

High nutrient deficiency: iodine, iron, and

Vitamin A

Challenges to agricultural development in highlands

Inaccessibility: obstructs mobility, imposes

isolation and closeness

Fragility: Poor soil quality, harsh climate,

erosion

Marginality: product of fragility and

inaccessibility, and historical and political

processes

Diversity: highlands are very heterogeneous in

climate, soil fertility, culture

Further challenges

Remoteness to markets and services

o Lack of infrastructure

Subsistence orientation of farmers

Limited understanding of mountain

environments by policy makers

Environmental constraints in mountain areas

Source: Huddleston et al. 2003

Most pressing challenge to agricultural development

Increasing imbalance between population and available productive land

Deforestation, water scarcity, reduced biodiversity

Soil erosion and soil impoverishment

Increasing poverty and undernourishment

Pillars of agricultural development in highlands

Stimulate growth in agricultural productivity

Raise income

Conserve resources

Strategies for agricultural development in highlands

Increase public investment in less-favored

areas: high returns to investment

Develop effective economic linkages with

national economies

Reform property rights institutions

Improve access to markets, link to public

investment in infrastructure

Strategies for agricultural development in highlands (Cont’d)

Design policies and technologies that

encourage diversification

Develop technology suited for highlands

Strengthen scientific capacity for developing

country mountain regions, such as

meteorology, hydrology, ecology and soil

sciences