The world?s mountains cover about one-fourth of the planet?s land surface and are home to 10 percent of its population. They are a sanctuary for an extraordinary web of plant and animal life and a source of water for all of the world?s major rivers. Yet, mountain people ? the guardians of these valuable mountain resources ? are among the world?s poorest, hungriest and most marginalized populations. Indeed, many of the more than 800 million chronically undernourished people in the world today live in mountain areas. In some cases, their food insecurity is a consequence of population growth, which often has a harder impact on poverty in mountainous regions because of the fragility of these regions? natural resources. In others, periods of hunger arise as mountain farmers abandon traditional farming practices for methods that are unsustainable on mountain terrain. One of the greatest causes of poverty and hunger in mountain regions is the chaos created by armed conflict. In 1999, 23 of the 27 major armed conflicts in the world were being fought in mountain regions. Where there is armed conflict, people cannot carry out fundamental life-sustaining tasks, such as planting and harvesting crops. Where mines are laid, agricultural lands must be left barren until expensive mine clearance can be undertaken, typically many years later. Roads, schools and other infrastructure are destroyed, halting economic development. And, of course, the death, injuries and emotional trauma of armed conflict devastate individual lives and national advancement.