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88

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

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