The aim of IYM is to ensure the well-being of mountain and lowland communities by promoting the conservation and sustainable development of mountain regions. FAO, the lead agency for IYM, is working closely with UN and other organizations to make sure the broadest possible range of expertise is focused on reaching the goals of sustainable mountain development.

Conferences & Events

     Using mathematical models and a 3-D Web browser, international food organizations collaborate on raising virtual crops

Article on Technology Review Magazin

     The 8A project is assembling a three-dimensional online research lab to help researchers, educators and decision makers collaborate on a global basis. Working with ActiveWorlds.com, which develops online 3-D environments. This is no ordinary collaborative network. Using ActiveWorlds's Internet browser, researchers can actually gather together within a shared 3-D environment.

      Potato farmers in the province of Carchi in northern Ecuador suffer from decreased mental capacity caused by high exposure to chemical insecticides. This is lowering their productivity by impairing their ability to make good farming decisions.

Read Article on Reports, Science From The Developing World

     Mountain watersheds play a key role in supplying water resources and energy to the lowland inhabitants. The knowledge gap in land use processes that affect water in the mountains is large, and information technology tools can improve communication and knowledge sharing. The Himalayan-Andean watershed comparison was carried out in a cooperative manner by developing a common integrative framework, selecting comparative indicators, and producing multi-media CD-ROM and a WEB-Site for each of eight watersheds. A separate CD-ROM was produced for the comparison and this featured not only the similarities and differences between watersheds, but highlighted successes in the use of assessment techniques, action research, and conservation efforts in each of the watersheds. The five key topics discussed in this paper include: How to increase agro-biodiversity and reduce pesticide use; quantifying soil nutrient dynamics and nutrient sustainability; coping with water scarcity and quality problems; reducing the workload for women; and documenting how community forestry can improve forest resources. All these topics affect water resources and the highlighted examples can be shared globally. The examples provided can be used to improve watershed management in other mountain regions.

     The Tradeoff Analysis Methodology was represented by no less than 3 papers at a recent conference sponsored by CIMMYT entitled "Why has impact assessment not made more of a difference?" Feb. 4-7, 2002, San José, Costa Rica. The three papers were entitled "The Tradeoff Analysis Approach: Lessons from the Tradeoffs Project in Ecuador and Peru" by John Antle, Jetse Stoorvogel, Walter Bowen, Charles Crissman, and David Yanggen; "Potato Production and Pesticide Use in Ecuador: Linking Impact Assessment Research and Rural Development Intervention for Greater Ecosystem Health" by Charles Crissman, Steve Sherwood, Patricio Espinosa, Donald Cole and David Yanggen; and "Tradeoff Analysis as a Tool for Assessment of Economic and Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Research" by David Yanggen, John Antle, Jetse Stoorvogel, Walter Bowen, and Charles Crissman.