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STORY: FAO / MOUNTAIN DAY
TRT: 04:52
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 DECEMBER 2020, ROME, ITALY / 2016, YAN BAI, VIETNAM / 2017, NEPAL / 2012, MONGOLIA / 2015, HONDURAS / 2017, COLOMBIA / 2017, RWANDA
FILE - 2016, YAN BAI, VIETNAM
1. Aerial shot, farms and forest plantations
FILE – 2017, NEPAL
2. Wide shot, low hills and clouds in Arghakhanchi district
FILE - 2012, MONGOLIA
3. Close up, tree branch
4. Wide shot, forest with mountains on the background
FILE – 2017, NEPAL
5. Wide shot, women walking carrying fodder on their heads
11 DECEMBER 2020, ROME, ITALY
6. SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"FAO has recently conducted a study that shows that the situation of mountain people regarding the vulnerability and food insecurity is on the rise, it is increasing. So, we move from 44 percent in the year 2000, to 53 percent in the year 2017. It means that the vulnerability and food insecurity is still growing."
FILE – 2017, NEPAL
7. Med shot, women at work
FILE - 2011, MONGOLIA
8. Wide shot, shepherd grazing sheep
FILE – 2015, HONDURAS
9. Wide shot, women carrying wood on their heads in Lempira province
11 DECEMBER 2020, ROME, ITALY
10. SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
“The impact of COVID-19 has further exacerbated the situation. We know that mountain areas have not been particularly affected by COVID in terms of number of people infected, but we know that the three pillars of their economies, that are agriculture, remittances and tourism, have been seriously affected. We know that remittances have gone down tremendously because of the lack of economic opportunities in many countries, so the people that have migrated from mountain areas are not able to send the money back to the families. We know that there is this ban, since about March 2020 for tourism. And we also know that the agriculture production, but in particular the agricultural distribution has been really limited for mountain people. In general mountain communities live pretty far from markets and in many countries very far from the capital, so they have to rely on a network of retailers to reach markets and this network of retailers is not working well during this period because it is difficult to reach mountain communities, so often they haven't been able to sell their products to the market. This had a big impact on mountain communities.”
FILE – 2017, COLOMBIA
11. Wide shot, farmer tilling soil
12. Close up, farmer hands planting
FILE – 2017, NEPAL
13. Wide shot, woman carrying fodder on her head
FILE – 2017, COLOMBIA
14. Wide shot, fruit and vegetables on sale in a market
11 DECEMBER 2020, ROME, ITALY
15. SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"FAO is the lead agency, within the United Nations system, for mountains. So, every year we promote the celebration of the International Mountain Day by producing materials, by engaging with partners, by supporting theirs events. In terms of protecting biodiversity, since a few years we have an initiative called the Mountain Partnership Product Initiative which is specifically looking at how to support the production of high-quality mountain products.”
FILE – 2017, NEPAL
16. Wide shot, low hills and clouds in Arghakhanchi district
FILE – 2017, COLOMBIA
17. Wide shot, women at work in a field
18. Tilt up, woman touching the ground with her hand
FILE – 2017, RWANDA
19. Wide shot, river flowing
11 DECEMBER 2020, ROME, ITALY
20. SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"We have been working with more than 10,000 farmers as of today, the majority of which are women and the program is active in 8 countries from Bolivia, India, Kyrgyz, Nepal, Peru etcetera. And since we are working, we have seen that the production has increased of about 40 percent and the sales of about 49 percent. The commodities have reported a net increase of about 25 percent in their price. And, in general, what we have seen is that the communities are really proud now with their products. Products that were about to disappear are now increasingly produced and this is helping to preserve the rich agrobiodiversity of mountain areas, but it is also improving the livelihoods of mountain communities around the world.”
FILE – 2017, NEPAL
21. Various shots, omen in field with intercropping cultivation of ginger and maize
FILE – 2015, HONDURAS
22. Various shots, cultivated field in Lempira province
23. Various shots, women at work in a field
FILE – 2017, RWANDA
24. Wide shot, woman pouring water on a cultivated field
FILE – 2017, NEPAL
25. Various shots, woman spreading drying seeds on the ground
FILE – 2015, HONDURAS
26. Wide shot, sunset
Mountains host about half of the global biodiversity hotspots and are home to a growing number of the world’s hungriest people, according to a new study launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners to mark International Mountain Day 2020.
The study, conducted by FAO, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), shows that the number of mountain people vulnerable to food insecurity in developing countries increased from 243 to almost 350 million between 2000 and 2017.
The joint study, “Vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity: updated data and analysis of drivers”, was released today ahead of a virtual event to be hosted by FAO entitled “Mountain Biodiversity Matters”.
SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"FAO has recently conducted a study that shows that the situation of mountain people regarding the vulnerability and food insecurity is on the rise, it is increasing. So, we move from 44 percent in the year 2000, to 53 percent in the year 2017. It means that the vulnerability and food insecurity is still growing."
This year’s International Mountain Day highlights the social, economic and ecological value of mountain biodiversity as mountains account for 30 percent of the key biodiversity areas on the planet.
SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
“The impact of COVID-19 has further exacerbated the situation. We know that mountain areas have not been particularly affected by COVID in terms of number of people infected, but we know that the three pillars of their economies, that are agriculture, remittances and tourism, have been seriously affected. We know that remittances have gone down tremendously because of the lack of economic opportunities in many countries, so the people that have migrated from mountain areas are not able to send the money back to the families. We know that there is this ban, since about March 2020 for tourism. And we also know that the agriculture production, but in particular the agricultural distribution has been really limited for mountain people. In general mountain communities live pretty far from markets and in many countries very far from the capital, so they have to rely on a network of retailers to reach markets and this network of retailers is not working well during this period because it is difficult to reach mountain communities, so often they haven't been able to sell their products to the market. This had a big impact on mountain communities.”
Mountains provide between 60 and 80 percent of the world’s freshwater, which is essential for irrigation, industry, food and energy production and domestic consumption. Many of the world’s most important crops and livestock species also originate in mountain regions and are a source for food and medicine.
Yet the joint study found that mountain ecosystems are becoming increasingly fragile, under pressure from changes to land use and climate, overexploitation, pollution, demographic shifts and other factors which threaten livelihoods and food security.
SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"FAO is the lead agency, within the United Nations system, for mountains. So, every year we promote the celebration of the International Mountain Day by producing materials, by engaging with partners, by supporting theirs events. In terms of protecting biodiversity, since a few years we have an initiative called the Mountain Partnership Product Initiative which is specifically looking at how to support the production of high-quality mountain products.”
“The vulnerability to food insecurity of the mountain people in the developing world is compounded by the presence and occurrence of natural hazards and armed conflicts that disrupt livelihoods or put strain on the natural resources on which mountain people depend,” the study concluded.
It also noted that environmental degradation affects mountain people disproportionately. Climate change has increased the degradation of mountain ecosystems and the incidence of natural hazards such as landslides and droughts. Around 275 million rural people vulnerable to food insecurity were estimated to live in mountain areas that have already been affected by natural hazards.
SOUNDBITE (English) RosaLaura Romeo, Mountain Partnership Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
"We have been working with more than 10,000 farmers as of today, the majority of which are women and the program is active in 8 countries from Bolivia, India, Kyrgyz, Nepal, Peru etcetera. And since we are working, we have seen that the production has increased of about 40 percent and the sales of about 49 percent. The commodities have reported a net increase of about 25 percent in their price. And, in general, what we have seen is that the communities are really proud now with their products. Products that were about to disappear are now increasingly produced and this is helping to preserve the rich agrobiodiversity of mountain areas, but it is also improving the livelihoods of mountain communities around the world.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has added urgency to an already difficult situation as restrictions imposed by various countries have amplified the vulnerabilities of mountain communities that depend on agriculture and tourism for their survival.
The joint study recommended urgent action to address climate change and remove food insecurity and malnutrition in mountain areas. It called for policies to improve the resilience of mountain ecosystems and promote sustainable food systems that support innovation, research and community involvement.
“Ultimately, the goal of this study is to call on decision-makers and other stakeholders to strengthen cooperative action to reduce the vulnerability of mountain people, in particular local communities and indigenous people, and of the most vulnerable among them, often women and children,” the study said.
The Mountain Partnership, a voluntary United Nations alliance that includes 400 governments, NGOs and other members, works for livelihood improvement and natural resource management in mountain communities.
