Mountain Agriculture Research Articles

Research methodology for determining the economic efficiency of using low-intensity irrigation systems in mountain farming in Azerbaijan

For a well-known purpose in 2010-2015, Guba-Khachmaz RAEM, Tartar and RAEM Shamakhi TSB have been confirmed by numerous research findings in the field of mountain watering, in terms of the development of irrigation, the mountainous slopes include soybean, sugar beet, trees, and germination (barley, wheat, etc.), the microcirculation method was not cost-effective in terms of efficiency, and preventive measures such as surface soil wash, sliding, irrigation and drowning, erosion characteristic for mountainous terrain zones , which is of particular importance, confirms the feasibility study of the farm calculated with the following formula.

ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ СИСТЕМ МАЛОИНТЕНСИВНОГО ОРОШЕНИЯ В УСЛОВИЯХ ГОРНОГО ЗЕМЛЕДЕЛИЯ В АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНЕ

The article examines the issues on the introduction low-intensity irrigation systems. It is justified in terms of their efficiency under conditions of mountain farming in Azerbaijan. The author reveals that the advantage of the low intensive irrigation technology is in fact that even the minimum amount of moisture in the entire irrigated area creates a microclimate for more intensive development of crops, therefore, significantly increases the yields of different crops, improves water distribution, ensures its homogenous distribution, etc.

Agro-morphological diversity of Nepalese naked barley landraces

BackgroundNaked barley is a traditional, climate-resilient and highly nutritious crop of the high mountains of Nepal. Knowledge of agro-morphological diversity among the naked barely genotypes is fundamental for their efficient utilization in plant breeding schemes and effective conservation programs. The primary objective of this study is phenotypic characterization and diversity assessment of naked barley landraces in Nepal for pre-breeding purposes.MethodologyData on quantitative and qualitative traits of 25 naked barley landraces from diversity blocks established across the four mountainous locations of Nepal (Humla, Jumla, Dolakha and Lamjung) were subjected to calculation of descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis (UPGMA cluster analysis/principal component analysis). Frequency distribution of various categories of qualitative traits and Shannon–Weaver diversity indices were computed.ResultsThe UPGMA cluster analysis using both quantitative and qualitative traits individually categorized the 25 naked barley landraces in five clusters in each case with no distinct regional grouping patterns in such a way that the landraces from same or adjacent regions of origin and collection amassed in different clusters. NGRC04894, Lamjung Local, NGRC02306, NPGR1579, NGRC02327 and NPGR1579 exhibited morphoagronomical superiority and potentiality for utilization as genitors in crop improvement programs. Principal component analysis revealed the quantitative traits, viz. grain yield, plant height and earliness, and qualitative traits, viz. grain color, overall phenotypic performance, lemma awn/hood and lemma awn barbs, to be the principal discriminatory characteristics of the Nepalese naked barley landrace collection. The Shannon–Weaver diversity index (H′) ranged from 0.32 to 0.99 with a mean value of 0.73, inferring tremendous diversity in the collection for the qualitative traits.ConclusionThe marked diversity observed among the Nepalese naked barley landraces could be utilized in crop improvement for various traits. The information generated complements the robust breeding program of competitive, stable and climate-resilient varieties of end users’ preferences in different mountainous agro-ecologies and also bolsters the employment of innovative and proven participatory plant breeding approach using diversity kits and informal research and development kits to expand and promote the varietal choice options for expeditious benefits to the farmers in the high mountains, considering that only one naked barley variety, viz. Solu Uwa, has been released in Nepal to date.

Animal Welfare and Mountain Products from Traditional Dairy Farms: How Do Consumers Perceive Complexity?

Simple SummaryEuropean consumers recognize the added value of mountain dairy production and relate it to a composite of positive attributes. However, while consumers’ understanding of conventional dairy production and animal welfare has already been investigated, how consumers perceive animal welfare in traditional mountain dairy farming remains unexplored. This qualitative study aims at shedding light on consumers’ perceptions regarding animal welfare in mountain dairy cheese production systems. Focus group interviews were carried out with three major consumer groups that purchase mountain cheese including rural consumers living in mountain villages, urban consumers living in the plains, and urban consumers living in mountain cities. The results of this study show that all participants expect mountain farming to be on a smaller scale and mountain products to be healthier when compared to non-mountain farming systems. However, the verbal appreciation of certain husbandry and management choices especially in the case of urban consumers did not result in their recognition when pictures of traditional husbandry systems were provided, which displays a disconnection between the expectations towards mountain production systems and reality. These findings will support the development of a transparent science-based dialogue among mountain dairy chain actors on animal welfare and sustainable farming practices in mountain areas.This qualitative study aims to investigate consumers’ perceptions toward dairy cow welfare in traditional mountain farms. While consumers’ understanding of conventional dairy production and animal welfare has already been investigated, how consumers perceive animal welfare in traditional mountain dairy farming remains still unexplored. Focus group interviews were conducted with consumers having different degrees of geographical proximity to mountains and with an explicit interest in local dairy products. The results of this qualitative study show that participants expect mountain farming to be on a smaller scale when compared to non-mountain farming systems and expect mountain products to be healthier. Similarly, all participants consider origin, locality, and small-scale production as relevant quality attributes of mountain cheese. However, the appreciation of these abstract features did not necessarily result in their recognition when sample pictures of traditional husbandry systems were provided especially in the case of urban participants. This study contributes to reveal the gap between urban consumers’ conception of mountain farming and the actual farming practices. It also indicates the need to promote an effective science-based dialogue on animal welfare that goes beyond an anthropomorphic perspective and tackles the complexity of farming systems in relation to the context in which they are located.

Apples in action: Territoriality and land use politics of mountain agriculture in Taiwan

This essay outlines the symbolic and material transformation of mountain agriculture in Taiwan by tracing the historical trajectories of temperate fruit production, and of apple growing in particular. Specifically, we look at the area of Lishan, a major production centre for apples and other temperate fruits in Taiwan's Central Mountain Range in order to explore the relationship between the mountain agriculture and the politics of territorialisation. Focusing on the post‐war era, we argue that the development of mountain agriculture in Taiwan, and upland fruit growing in particular, has operated as a ‘more‐than‐human political technology’. The territory of Lishan is not just a passive geographical space, but engaged in a process of becoming, which re‐makes the mountain areas of Taiwan into ‘apple zones’ both spatially and socially. The spatial dimension centres on processes of political territorialisation, economic deterritorialisation and combined reterritorialisations whereby apple plantations have transformed the landscape from one focused on strategic politics to one embedded within development and market frameworks which entail their own particular forms of politics. The social dimensions are centred on the politics of forging connections among different elements circulating through the mountain areas of Taiwan, including apples, soldiers, transport infrastructures and agricultural policies.

Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion on mountain farms of different dairy systems

We developed a procedure to estimate the release of nutrients into the environment on Alpine dairy farms and applied it to a sample of 564 farms in the Province of Trento (north-eastern Italy) as a case study. Farm data (geographical location, herd size, milk production and quality, reproductive events, land use) were gathered from institutional databases and merged. Information on the formulation of the ration was obtained from farm visits. The farms fell into 4 groups: traditional with summer transhumance to highland pastures (T-ALP, 51%), traditional without transhumance (T-noALP, 24%), traditional using silage (T-S, 5%), and modern (MOD, 20%). The model predicted N and P excretion from cows and heifers on a farm basis. The N in manure was computed from total N excreted, assuming a 28% of N loss due to volatilisation. A cow unit was defined as the cow and its share of replacement heifer. The average dietary N content of the lactating cows ranged from 20 to 30 g/kg DM, while on-farm N excretion ranged from 90 to 190 kg/year per cow unit; the modern farms had the highest average value (137 kg), the T-ALP farms the lowest (106 kg). Average P excretion ranged from 10 to 40 kg/year/cow unit. The on-farm N and P in manure per unit of milk decreased asymptotically with increasing cow productivity, from 25 to 19 and from 4.1 to 2.8 g/kg milk, respectively. The modern farms had the greatest amounts of N and P in manure per unit of agricultural land (260 and 51 kg/ha, respectively), the T-ALP farms the lowest (161 and 37 kg/ha, respectively). Within system, there was a huge variation among farms in the N and P load per unit of agricultural land, which was largely explained by the number of cow units per ha and by nutrient excretion per cow unit, but not by herd size or cow productivity. Within dairy system, the N and P contents of the rations for lactating cows were weakly related to the daily milk yield, but strongly related to the annual excretion of the nutrient per cow unit. The farm N loads were below the legal thresholds (340 kg N/ha per year), but the geographical distribution of the loads indicated two critical areas due to farm density.

Evaluating the Performance of Multi-Class and Single-Class Classification Approaches for Mountain Agriculture Extraction Using Time-Series NDVI

Supervised multi-class classification (MCC) approach is widely being used for regional-level land use–land cover (LULC) mapping and monitoring. However, it becomes inefficient if the end user wants to map only one particular class. Therefore, an improved single-class classification (SCC) approach is required for quick and reliable map production purpose. In this regard, the current study attempts to evaluate the performance of MCC and SCC approaches for extracting mountain agriculture area using time-series normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI). At first, samples of eight LULC classes were acquired using Google Earth image, and corresponding temporal signatures (TS) were extracted from time-series NDVI to perform classification using minimum distance to mean (MDM) and spectral angle mapper (i.e., multi-class SAM—MCSAM) under MCC approach. Secondly, under SCC approach, the TS of three agriculture classes (i.e., agriculture, mixed agriculture and plantation) were utilized as a reference to extract agriculture extent using Euclidean distance (ED) and SAM (i.e., single-class SAM—SCSAM) algorithms. The area of all four maps (i.e., MDM—19.77% of total geographical area (TGA), MCSAM—21.07% of TGA, ED—15.23% of TGA, SCSAM—13.85% of TGA) was compared with reference agriculture area (14.54% of TGA) of global land cover product, and SCC-based maps were found to have close agreement. Also, the class-wise detection accuracy was evaluated using random sample point-based error matrix which reveals the better performance of ED-based map than rest three maps in terms of overall accuracy and kappa coefficient.

Vom „österreichischen Problem“ zum „nationalen Heiligtum“. Die österreichische Berglandwirtschaft in der NS-Zeit

This article deals with the agricultural policy and racial ideology relating to mountain farming between 1938 and 1945, when Austriawas a province of Nazi Germany. The Alpine farmers were confronted with numerous economic innovations and with the National Socialist “blood and soil” ideology, considering mountain farmers as the essential “rawmaterial” for the “breeding” of a renewed German people. The paper reveals the importance of ideological ideas even after the outbreak of World War II and tries to situate the Nazi era in a wider context.

Innovative agroforestry interventions for alternative economically viable livelihood development to support climate resilient mountain agriculture

Agroforestry holds the key in providing alternative economically viable livelihood development and to support mountainous farmers to adapt to climate change. Innovative agroforestry interventions integrating animal production, horticulture etc into cropping systems exist that can help farmers improve yields and build resilience for supporting livelihoods particularly among marginal communities. But, the lack of knowledge, technical know-how and other information among the farmers are major barriers in adoption of agroforestry. Millions of the farmers of mountainous regions are already wrestling with water scarcity, which would be more severe in climate change scenario. The Himalayan regions are have been considered to be highly sensitive to climate change. Indeed, Innovative agroforestry interventions have the potential to conserve natural resources, improve productivity and provide resilience to climate change. The present paper highlights the need for developing innovative agroforestry interventions to promote various alternate livelihood options through diversification, adoption of high yielding varieties and development of innovative products from forest resources. Of these spice based agroforetry, silvi-medicinal systems, Van silk cultivation, bamboo and ringal cultivation and development and use of farm resources based products like bamboo based composite structures, Seabuckthorn herbal tea, Ghingaroo juice (Crataegus crenulata) and incense products etc holds a promising potential to be explored as better options for future scenario.

Why do we not pick the low-hanging fruit? Governing adaptation to climate change and resilience in Tyrolean mountain agriculture

Impacts of climate change have become more and more evident and can be observed in ecosystems, societies and economies worldwide. Mountain agriculture is especially vulnerable to climate change, and adaptation seems crucial. Thus, certain adaptation activities, such as installing irrigation technology, switching to drought-resistant crop varieties or shifting planting dates, can already be observed. Despite these efforts, the barriers for climate change adaptation are still manifold and lead to adaptation gaps. One problem is that many approaches ignore non-climatic drivers, such as economic conditions or cultural aspects, which have a strong influence on farmers´ decisions. In the literature, the focus is mostly on planned, “top-down” induced adaptations, where climate change is considered the most important driver. Within this study, we focus on local, “bottom-up” adaptation actions in Tyrolean mountain agriculture that may be triggered by climatic as well as by non-climatic drivers. We identify 27 adaptation practices and cluster them into six types of climate change adaptation: ´Resilience-raising products and production´, ´Hidden actions by farmer organizations´, ´CC motivated agronomic actions´, ´CCA scientific knowledge production´, ´Risk-driven adaptations´ and ´Hidden governmental actions´. These types are helpful to show the broad range of local practices contributing to climate change adaptation. Several adaptation actions from practice are not motivated by climate change and thus are termed “hidden” adaptations, as they do not fit into common adaptation concepts. Hidden climate change adaptation practices, although not considered to date in official CCA policy documents, constitute “low-hanging fruit” for decision makers as they have already proved their feasibility and gained legitimacy by actors on the ground. We argue that additional support for such hidden adaptation practices can help to overcome present adaptation barriers and adaptation gaps.

Alpe Borghetto: origins and evolution of a summer farm area in the Italian central Alps based on vegetation history and archaeology, Neolithic to present

The origins of Alpe Borghetto, a present-day summer farm complex in Val Febbraro (Italian central Alps), were investigated in 1996–2004 on the basis of five peat mires at 1,895–2,103 m a.s.l. which were analysed palynologically, and five main archaeological sites at 2,015–2,115 m. The area appears to have started to be used in the Neolithic according to environmental evidence at Borghetto Sotto, around 4500–3800 cal bc. Increased human land use during the Copper and/or Bronze Age is indicated by pollen results from the Barch and Lavazze sites and by archaeological findings at Lavazze. Some kind of regular summer activity may have taken place at Lavazze and perhaps in the Barch area along the natural tree line. In the early Iron Age, a substantial reduction of woodland around 800–500 cal bc at Barch probably marks the beginning of traditional dairying-based summer farming in the area, soon followed by a ‘protohistoric’/early Medieval settlement at Barch. A year-round settlement of similar date appeared at lower altitude in the nearby valley of Starleggia, following Bronze Age woodland clearance. A subsequent decrease in charcoal input at Barch can be associated with the period when mountain farmers left the zone and settled lower down at present-day Borghetto, as evidenced from Borghetto Sotto. This resettlement was possibly brought about by a lack of wood for building, fuel and tools, and may have taken place over many centuries during the Middle Ages. Pressures from Iron Age economies within and around the Alps might have influenced the appearance of traditional summer farming in Val Febbraro.

Factors Affecting Global versus Local Environmental and Economic Performance of Dairying: A Case Study of Swiss Mountain Farms

Improving the sustainability of the dairy food chain requires a simultaneous improvement in global and local environmental performance, as well as in the economic performance of dairy farms. We investigated the effect of different structural, farm management, socio-demographic, technological and natural-environment-related factors on the economic and environmental performance of dairying. Our analysis relied on a case study of 56 Swiss alpine dairy farm observations, for which cradle-to-farm gate life cycle assessments and farm accountancy data were combined. The data refer to the years 2006 to 2008. The effect of the selected factors on farms’ economic and environmental performance was analysed by means of non-parametric statistical approaches. The results revealed the existence of some factors presenting synergies and several factors showing trade-offs in the enhancement of farm global environmental, local environmental and economic performance. More generally, the promotion of farm global environmental performance and farm economic performance was shown to be synergetic whereas the enhancement of farm global and local environmental performance turned out to be mostly antinomic. However, some factors, namely organic farming, higher agricultural education, silage-free milk production, and also, to a weaker extent, full-time farming, larger farm size and lower intensity of cattle concentrates use, showed a potential to bring simultaneous improvements in the global and local environmental performance as well as the economic performance of dairy farming. Policy-makers should be aware of the complexity of the joint improvement of farm economic and environmental performance and only promote factors capable of synergistically enhancing the environmental and economic performance of dairy farming.

Agricultural production and food consumption of mountain farmers in Tanzania: a case study of Kiboguwa village in Uluguru Mountains

BackgroundThe present study investigates the agricultural practices and food security of rural areas in Africa by observing the farming and food consumption patterns in Kiboguwa village, on the eastern slopes of the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania.ResultsThe participant observation method was employed to collect and analyze the data of four village divisions: Kiseneke, Changa, Ludewa, and Mungi. Empirical research was conducted on the agricultural and food consumption patterns of the villagers using firsthand information. The production of two main types of cereals, maize and rice, was insufficient owing to low productivity or low production. Many households sell bananas grown in home gardens to compensate for cereal food shortages. Therefore, as a commercial crop, bananas play a vital role in achieving food security for the villagers.ConclusionThe present study demonstrates the importance of different dimensions of agriculture and staple food crop productivity. It also describes the specific situation of rural farming in Africa. The newly collected information could help policymakers enhance food security in the areas under investigation.

Socio-hydrology of \u201cartificial glaciers\u201d in Ladakh, India: assessing adaptive strategies in a changing cryosphere

The consequences of even small glacier decrease and changes of seasonal snow cover are critical for the functioning of meltwater-dependent mountain agriculture. In order to deal with recurrent water scarcity, different types of ice reservoirs, commonly called “artificial glaciers,” have been introduced in Ladakh and promoted as appropriate adaptive strategies to cope with changes in the cryosphere. The resulting seasonal ice reservoirs increase meltwater availability during the critical period of water scarcity in spring. We examine the efficacy of 14 ice reservoirs through a long-term analysis of their functioning within the environmental and socioeconomic context of Ladakh. Using multi-temporal satellite data (1969–2017), close range photogrammetry, and repeat field measurements (2014 and 2015), we provide an inventory and typology of these ice reservoirs and estimate storage volume of one selected structure, which ranges from 1010 to 3220 m3 of water. We extrapolate this volume to all ice reservoirs and estimate potential irrigation cycles of cropped areas, which vary between less than 0.1 in unfavorable cases and almost 3 in optimal cases and years. Based on interviews and field surveys (2007–2017), we discuss the benefits perceived by local smallholders, such as the reduction of seasonal water scarcity and resulting crop failure risks together with the possibility of growing cash crops. We argue that “artificial glaciers” are remarkably suited to the physical environment. However, their usefulness as a climate change adaptation strategy is questionable because climatic variability, natural hazards, and an incomplete integration into the local socioeconomic setting significantly reduce their efficacy.

Scientific Substantiation of Rational Irrigation Technologies for Mountain Agriculture Region in Azerbaijan

At present, in the field of agricultural reclamation irrigation questions inadequately represented in Azerbaijan. Underdeveloped questions rational application

Farmers' participatory selection of new rice varieties to boost production under temperate agro-ecosystems

In mountain agriculture, early maturity, high grain yield and high biomass are generally considered as farmer preferred traits in rice crop in addition to a multiple set of traits collectively responsible for variety adoption or rejection. The varieties tested only on station evaluation trials without taking the data from the farmers' fields by not including farmers as partners for variety evaluation are the reasons of low adoption of varieties. In this regard, a participatory methodology was followed by conducting a number of participatory trials in the farmers' fields during 2012–2014 in six districts of Kashmir Valley, India. The mother trials in the farmers' fields showed that the test variety SKUA-408 consistently and significantly out yielded Jhelum and farmers' variety followed by Shalimar rice 3 (SR3). The other released varieties like SR1 and SR2 could not perform nicely in the farmers' fields because of late maturity. After making the t-test comparison of baby trials (paired plots), the mean yield superiority of test varieties SKUA-408, SR3, and SKUA-403 over farmers' variety during 2013 was around 23, 25, and 22%, respectively, whereas in 2014 the respective yield advantage was recorded as 16.3, 17.7, and 16.2%. In all districts, SKUA-408 and SR3 were significantly preferred by farmers (P<0.05 or 0.01) in terms of pre-harvest traits namely, tillering ability and general phenotypic acceptability, early maturity and biomass and for post-harvest traits such as general cooking quality besides, the intention to grow the variety for next year. Adoption and dissemination of SKUA-408 began in 2014 from the farm-saved seed in the form of farmer to farmer seed exchange. Farmers are the end users of a variety so the decision by the farmers while judging the variety should be taken into consideration to make the varietal choice more effective for its widespread adoption.

Endoparasitic infections and prevention measures in sheep and goats under mountain farming conditions in Northern Italy

In mountainous areas, where small ruminants form an integral part of livestock farming, an effective control of parasites is of high importance, because the animals are grazing on communal pasture land during the summer months. But knowledge on the infection status of the animals, which is needed for an effective control, is very limited in these areas. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of endoparasitic infections and the use of preventive measures in sheep and goat farms in South Tyrol, a mountainous region of Northern Italy. A questionnaire was used to collect information on farm structure and management as well as routine parasite control measures. Following the survey, a total of 3536 individual fecal samples from 123 sheep and goat flocks were analysed over three periods in autumn 2015, spring and autumn 2016 with routine methods including fecal egg counts (FEC) and oocysts counts (FOC). Animals were classified into <6 months, 7–12 months and >12 months of age. Goat flocks had an average herd size of 31 (range 5–125) and sheep flocks of 28 animals (range 2–100). Mountain sheep and goat breeds were dominant. More than 60% of the sheep and 40% the goat flocks were grazed on communal summer pastures at altitudes >1500 m a.s.l. Both sheep and goat farmers perceived gastrointestinal strongylid nematodes (GIN) as the most frequent parasites. Only 16% of the sheep and 30% of the goat farmers ever before this study did coprological examinations. More than 90% of the farms applied anthelmintic treatments; usually once (sheep: 32%, goats: 53%) or twice (sheep: 68%, goats: 42%) per year. Independent of the season, macrocyclic lactones were the most commonly used anthelmintics. More than 30% of the sheep-12 months and 16% >12 months were GIN-negative. Sheep <6 months had a lower FEC than animals of both other age classes (P < 0.05). In goats, 15.9% of the samples collected from animals <6 months were GIN-free. Age classes, however, did not differ for FEC in goats (P > 0.05). Third-stage larvae identified in coprocultures were dominated by Teladorsagia/Trichostrongylus in both sheep (56.5 ± 24.5%) and goats (60.5 ± 25.8%). While in sheep lambs had a higher FOC than both other age classes, kids did not differ from goats at an age of 7–12 months but only from those >12 months (P < 0.05). In sheep, tapeworms were found in around 13% in both groups below 12 months and 6.5% in sheep>12 months, while these parasites were identified in 18.5, 7.3 and 5.7% in goats <6 months, 7–12 months and >12 months, respectively. The prevalence of lungworms at flock level varied between seasons from 18 to 50% in sheep and 44–78% in goats. This first report on endoparasitic infections of sheep and goats in the mountainous region of South Tyrol reveals a high prevalence of endoparasites, especially GIN at a medium infection level, tapeworms and lungworms. Anthelmintics are regularly used, while fecal sampling for selective treatment only exceptionally. Therefore, parasite control measures should be optimized to reduce the risk for the development of anthelmintic resistance, which was already reported from neighboring regions.

Food Security amidst the Climate Change Scenario Perspectives, Issues and Opportunities in Mountain Agriculture

Food Security amidst the Climate Change Scenario Perspectives, Issues and Opportunities in Mountain Agriculture

Temperature Alters the Response to Insecticides in Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive pest in Europe and is a major threat to the soft fruit industry. Because of an ample temperature range, the pest spans from low to high elevation crops in mountain areas of the Southern Alps. Starting from field observations on the variable efficacy of insecticides under different temperatures, experiments were designed to test the efficacy of chemical families of insecticides available against this pest. Pyrethroids and spynosins proved to be the most effective under all temperature conditions (14, 22, and 30°C) in all assays. Organophosphates and neonicotinoids showed significantly lower efficacy at low temperatures, indicating that they are not suitable to protect crops under those conditions. The management of the pest in cold habitats, which are suitable for the cultivation of high-quality berries as for example in mountain farming systems, is constrained by a limited number of molecules available for fruit protection. Temperature has to be considered among factors affecting the decision-making process for the choice of registered formulations to be used in pest control.

MOUNTAIN FARMING IN AUSTRIA

For decades, the mountain regions in Austria have been of regional, social,environmental and economic relevance. The European Union has ranked themamong the most disadvantaged areas for agriculture. Nevertheless, in mountainousregions, ‘disadvantaged’ is not synonymous with marginal. On the contrary,agriculture is central to mountainous regions. In Austria the mountain area makesup 70% of national territory and 50% of the utilised agricultural area. Mountainagriculture is largely family farming. It is as diverse as the myriad mountainlandscapes available, but at the same time, there are also commonalities to farmingin lowland regions. With this in mind the research questions are: (i) what are thecharacteristics of family farming in mountain regions and (ii) how do they differfrom agriculture in lowland regions? Following some definitive remarks on familyfarming and the classification of mountain regions, this paper outlines the situationin Austria using select key indicators from the agri-structural data of the IntegratedAdministration and Control System and income data, 2014. Next, certaincharacteristics are highlighted using select data from the survey ‘Life and workingconditions of female farmers in Austria’ conducted in the year 2016. Whenanalysing the agriculture in mountain and lowland regions we employeddescriptive statistics. Based on the findings, we try to give some suggestions on theneed for further research and on future perspectives for both mountain and lowlandagriculture.