International Mountain Day: Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond

The Secretariat of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture joins the celebrations of this year’s International Mountain Day under the theme “Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond”.

Today is a powerful reminder of the importance of glaciers for mountain people and their intrinsic connection to food systems based on a myriad of genetic resources and rich biodiversity. This is because nearly 2 billion people – including many Indigenous Peoples, traditional local communities, smallholder farmers and pastoralists – depend on water from mountains for their essential daily needs, livelihoods and cultural practices.

Mountain landscapes are strategic ecosystems as they host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots, including many wild and locally-adapted crop varieties and livestock breeds, making these ecosystems essential in achieving nature and climate targets through integrated and locally relevant actions.

Sustainable and diverse mountain agrifood systems play a crucial role in contributing towards food security in a manner consistent with climate and nature goals. By producing a broader array of foods, mountain communities gain access to healthier diets, secure more reliable incomes and help ecosystems maintain long-lasting services such as pollination and soil fertility. Ultimately, diverse and sustainable mountain agrifood systems promote both human and environmental health.

Countless crops and livestock species provide millions of mountain people with diversified foods with essential nutrients required to maintain good health and well-being. Maintaining a high genetic diversity within and among species keeps crops and animals from harmful diseases and pests, and helps increase the population of other beneficial species, such as soil microorganisms and insect pollinators. Similarly, maintaining mixed cropping, livestock and forest-harvesting systems help reduce crop loss without using chemical pesticides. This will not only reduce production costs but also contribute to human health and environmental sustainability.

Around the world, many mountain landscapes offer examples of diversified agrifood systems. The diversity of crops and livestock, which are well adapted to local mountainous environmental conditions are the cornerstone of mountain agrifood systems. Here are six ways to help protect the agricultural biodiversity of mountains, including agricultural genetic resources.

The Commission Secretariat adds its voice to the call for more global action to preserve glaciers and mountain genetic resources for current and future generations.