In collaboration with Slow Food International Terms and Conditions for the use of the Mountain Partnership Product label, Mountain people are among the World’s poorest and hungriest: according to a recent study, one in three mountain people in developing countries is at risk of facing hunger and malnutrition. Mountain peoples are hugely disadvantaged compared to lowland peoples. They live in harsh and inaccessible terrains and suffer from a lack of investments, infrastructure and training opportunities, as well as from being marginalized, both socially and politically. Yet, mountain products and services have great potential to improve livelihoods and boost local economies. Many quality foods and beverages are produced in mountain areas, such as coffee, honey, herbs, and spices, as well as handicrafts and cosmetics. Mountains and mountain communities also offer tourism-related services that allow visitors to discover unique landscapes and biodiversity. Small-scale mountain businesses cannot compete with lower prices and larger volumes of lowland production, but they can focus on specific markets and tap into the rising demand for sustainable, high quality, handcrafted, fair trade products.
