Download - Agricultural Development in the Highlands
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Agricultural Development in the Highlands
Joachim von Braun
Director General
International Food Policy Research Institute
Lhasa
July 24, 2005
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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
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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
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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
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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%
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Further challenges
Remoteness to markets and services
o Lack of infrastructure
Subsistence orientation of farmers
Limited understanding of mountain
environments by policy makers
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Environmental constraints in mountain areas
Source: Huddleston et al. 2003
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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
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Pillars of agricultural development in highlands
Stimulate growth in agricultural productivity
Raise income
Conserve resources
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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
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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