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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