FAO’s Mountain Partnership and Slow Food have launched a voluntary product label for mountain goods that are meant to improve market access for small highland producers from developing countries and highlight mountain products as distinct and sustainable. The new label places a premium on goods that support local biodiversity and production methods that are linked to the cultural traditions of mountain communities. Products carrying the mountain label will be available in national markets, organic stores, and specialty shops. Among the flagship products that are part of the first phase of the Mountain Partnership Products initiative are apricots grown in the remote mountainous region of Batken in Kyrgyzstan and rare black amaranth grain produced in the Bolivian Andes. A variety of other goods ranging from coffee to tea and spices from different mountain areas of developing countries will also be marketed under the new label, which will be available free of charge to mountain producers following a review of their products and production methods.
