The papers in this series can be quoted with due acknowledgements.
Comments are welcome.
The Context Mountain economies have remained predominantly self-contained in the past with most of the needs being met internally and only a limited external input. Over the years, this self sufficiency or containment has been breaking down owing to two reasons. First, with rapidly growing populations, traditional agricultural systems are proving increasingly inadequate to meet basic needs, leading to compulsions to extend cultivation on to marginal and forest lands, resulting in environmental degradation. Second, improvements in access to other areas and an increased flow of information have exposed the mountain people to the higher and different standards of living elsewhere, resulting in raised aspirations. Rapid population growth and raised aspirations created an imperative for finding alternative employment and income-generating opportunities.