The world has been experiencing a dramatic surge in the price of many staple foods since 2005. The prices of cereals and oil have almost doubled in just one year. Soaring food prices and market instability have led to a threat to food security1. This is particularly true for the population of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region. As a result of their gradual integration into regional and global markets, mountain societies in the HKH region have been moving increasingly from subsistence farming to market-based agricultural production and cash crops2. Although this process has been ongoing for the last few years, the present high food and energy prices and market instability are posing new development and environmental challenges. For example, a vast area of the HKH region consists of rangelands, where 30 million people depend on livestock for their livelihoods. In these parts of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, livestock production, particularly for meat and wool, plays a major role in food security and income generation. These people are now facing extreme difficulties as the price of their staple foods has almost doubled in the last two years, whereas the price of meat and wool has remained almost stagnant.These price changes have posed a new challenge for the HKH region, as mountain communities are particularly reliant on external sources of food supply. The opportunities for intensive arable agriculture are limited by the biophysical conditions which are characterised by rugged mountains, steep slopes, high altitudes, harsh climates, and a fragile environment. The present paper analyses the factors driving the present crisis from ICIMOD’s mountain perspective, examining the consequences of our policy on food security, and assessing the need for adjustment.
