Sustainable mountain development in East Africa in a changing climate

linkages, technology and the necessary expertise. In particular, there has been a rise in consumer demand for organically produced crops such as coffee and vegetables and fruit that fetch high prices in western markets. These have the potential to significantly enhance the welfare and development of mountain communities. Interventions must seek to promote land-use planning and sustainable land management practices in the mountainous regions, through actions that may include: • Compiling resource inventories in East African mountain areas including potentials and sensitivities of the physical landscapes by both national and transnational authorities; • Developing land-use plans at different scales of management (at least up to district or regional levels) within countries to guide users on appropriate ways of managing the land for sustainability; and • Publicizing and implementing the use of land- use plans and monitoring progress in their implementation. Another possible intervention area involves promoting the production of high-quality mountain agricultural products as a means of improving the economic welfare of mountain communities. This may include the following actions: • Carrying out an assessment (environmental and socio-economic) of a range of high-quality mountain agricultural products; • Identifying the most suitable products for promotion, and potential markets and linkages where the products can be sold; • Promoting the production of high-quality mountain products among politicians, policymakers, technocrats and mountain communities;

Maize farming, Uganda

Promotion of land-use planning, land management and sustainable agriculture practices; and promotion of high-quality mountain agricultural products While mountainous areas in Africa are generally perceived as harsh areas for human livelihood, the favourable climatic and ecological conditions (in contrast to the surrounding lowland areas) means they are highly productive and able to support large populations, largely dependent on agriculture. The high population densities, coupled with limited or no land-use planning and poor land management practices, pose a series threat to the sustainability of agriculture in these fragile mountain environments.

With the mounting population pressure and the increase in environmental disasters related to poor land use and climate change, proper land-use planning and sustainable land management practices are required to ensure sustainable agriculture and development in mountain areas. The environmental conditions found in many mountain areas favour the production of high- quality products, which are becoming an increasingly important means of improving the livelihoods of mountain communities around the world. To exploit the comparative advantages that these conditions provide, requires the selection of high-quality crops and the provision of organizational skills, market

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