Hilly and Mountainous Agro-ecosystems
The core work of this Centre is to conduct research relevant to hilly and mountainous areas often characterized by extreme weather conditions, inaccessibility, poor quality and steep soils subject to erosion, low population density, poor infrastructure and lack of training facilities.
Technology transfer is particularly problematic due to lack of roads and transportation infrastructure between villages. Access to agricultural inputs is difficult because of challenging topography and poor roads. Such areas also have favourable conditions such as pristine environments with low incidence of pests and diseases. Organic management is often, by default, non-certified and based mainly on inputs available on the farm. The major challenges of converting farms to organic agriculture in this agro-ecosystem are the costs of extension services, the need for improved household food security, and the distance from farms to the market.
Research relevant to farming systems based in hilly and mountainous agroecosystems is occurring all over the world. Few research institutions are currently dedicated solely to the study of organic agriculture in these ecosystems, but scientists in many countries are conducting research with applicability to organic hill and mountain farmers.
The proposed Key Topics are: Forests & Agroforestry.
