Competitive and resilient mountain areas
This report presents an overview and synthesis of information compiled through the EU CAP Network Focus Group (FG) on competitive and resilient mountain areas, which was launched in November 2023 and completed its work in June 2024. Mountainous areas cover a wide range of European territory, and possess abundant natural resources, stunning landscapes, unique biodiversity, and rich cultures and traditions. The Focus Group of 20 experts has sought to draw attention to mountain areas and further explore innovative approaches and innovations linked to agriculture, forestry and bio-economy that can foster the competitiveness, socio-economic and environmental resilience of such regions.
The key findings from the deliberations of the Focus Group on ‘Competitive and resilient mountain areas’ are:
- The main challenges facing mountain agriculture and forestry are unfavourable production conditions, lack of information and
advice, lack of access to agricultural markets, abandonment of agricultural activities, depopulation, lack of training centres, conflicts of interest, climate change, environmental degradation, lack of a common long-term strategy and lack of infrastructure. - However, there are also opportunities to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of mountain areas. The most important of these are growing markets for specialised local niche products, together with the production of high-quality mountain products, autochthonous breeds, sustainable tourism, a quiet and remote environment, green care and social farming activities, the existence of beautiful landscapes, unique biodiversity, and a range of further common goods as well as living traditions and historic buildings.
- To meet the challenges and opportunities of mountain areas in a long-term and resilient way, innovative approaches are a key element of their further development. Agriculture, forestry and the bio-economy in mountain areas operate in a complex and dynamic human-nature system, and long-term and transformative solutions are needed to increase resilience at the regional level.
In addressing these issues, social innovation can play a key role in this transformation, alongside the innovation linked to products, processes and marketing. Good practices of innovations (including applied examples) are collected by the experts and presented in the accompanying so-called Mini Papers drafted by the experts.