Rural 'desertification' of the Alps

A snowHead

No, not another thread on climate change. An article in SwissInfo that raises the dilemma of how to prevent rural depopulation, in this case with specific reference to the Alpine regions, without resorting to ill-planned tourism sector developments.

A snowHead

It's an interesting problem, my friends in Wengen who own the hotel I stay at have 2 daughters, the older one is at hotel school and it is likely that she will take over the hotel when her parents retire, the younger one however cannot decide what she wants to do, the main problem being that she loves the area and given a choice would like to remain there, unfortunately jobs in the area seem to virtualy all be tourism related with the exception of a few small farms neither of which really interest her.

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The sensible ones are the farmers.

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David Goldsmith, Not sure I understand your reasoning, still as a farmer who farms in the flat fens of Lincolnshire its no wonder I love the mountains.

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I just think the farmers are the people to respect when one is in the hills. They were there before the skiers arrived, and they will be there when the skiers depart, as they will do from many low resorts in the coming decades.

The farmers are there when skiers leave every spring, keeping the grass short and safe (reducing avalanche risk from long flattened slippery grass). The farmers (and foresters) are there to protect the mountains and trees. Ski resorts with no farmers are usually on the road to destruction.

I once skied behind an old-time ski instructor and farmer in St Anton, who seemed to know the mountains in a unique way. He thought my occupation as a scribbler was contemptible, which was amusing and honest.

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David Goldsmith, I wasn't being dimissive of farmers, being the son of a farmer that would be a bit unlikely, I simply stated that farming didn't interest my friends daughter, horses on the other hand would be a different matter.

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The unique way is an indescribable love brought about by your every waking hours spent watching the weather and how it effects your environment. Anyone with a garden knows what it looks like after a fortnights holiday. Those farmers are there to prevent that happening to the countryside as a whole.

After all it is free

D G Orf, I wasn't, for a moment, suggesting that. Many ski resorts are dismissive of farmers, which is the problem.

What is Wengen's policy in retaining working farm buildings, which hoteliers and chalet developers might wish to demolish?

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David Goldsmith, There are very strict regulations concerning where and what can be built or converted, there are a couple of very old barns in the middle of the village that have been redeveloped but they hadn't been used for at least 5 years, the vast majority of the farms are untouched.

Nick Zotov, many small mountain farms are very uneconomical, often they barely make a profit for their owners, especially if they have a bad year, as a result many small farms in the alps also have to do other work, they may be carpenters or ski instructors or may do cheese prodution on show for tourists but few can live off the profits that their small farms might produce on their own

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Nick Zotov, subsidy of Alpine farmers might well be necessary to ensure good guardianship of the mountain landscapes we treasure. I should think the cost of this is peanuts compared to the tourism revenues.

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David Goldsmith, given the UK's views on the disproportionate benefits received by France from the CAP subsidies, that's one suggestion that's dead in the water!

Nick Zotov, farmers...profit...business - an unlikely combination of words for any land over 1000 feet although Chris B in the flat loamy fens may be more fortunate. There is an uneasy tension between countryside stewardship and the role as a profit making businessman through traditional means that the majority of farmers in the uplands are very close to failing at. I'm sure its as true in the alpine regions as in our own green and pleasant land. That said farming has always needed a subsuiduary business to ensure cashflow and viability, its just that tourism is not the nicest to be involved in always.

You know it makes sense.

Another reason why Switzerland should not join the European Community -it would destroy the character of the small farms and indigenous businesses there, as the units are clearly un-economic. Clearly small holdings would become unecononic and with the demise/curtailment of the CAP no assiatance would be available from Brussels. Similar thing has happened in Ireland- whilst it enjoys an economic boom - the small farmers have been closed down and rented out to bigger farmers.

Again it would be a pity to see a country like Switzerland being submerged in a large amorphous block and loosing its uniqueness. The Swiss do " shadow " some of the EC policies which I think is a good compromise.

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A snowHead

Its very refreshing to hear snowheads are well informed and intelligent with it. Although I suspect many live in city areas, we all have a love of the mountains. I have only the utmost respect and sympathy for those who choose to share the guardianship of the areas which we as tourists often abuse, through their farming activities, in conditions which many of us would not tolerate and for which the recompense would be laughed at. Its a joy to contribute to this forum.

A snowHead

Crikey rural depopulation in the richest, most desirable and one of the most accessible countries in the world ! What hope is there for parts of rural UK ?

I suspect that what they mean by ‘depopulation’ is loss of the local young rather than overall decline in numbers. That is certainly what is meant by the term in most of England and Wales. In fact the last 20 years has seen the rural population increase markedly as people move out from urban areas in search of a better quality of life.

Of course the young leave for all sorts of reasons. They are rarely forced out. For example the UK is working towards a target of 50% School leavers going into higher education. That will mean 50% of young people in rural areas leaving, most of whom won’t come back, at least not initially.

With regard to farming Swiss farming like UK farming is hopelessly uneconomic and very costly to the taxpayer. For decades the Swiss have paid their farmers to keep the country looking like a chocolate box. In heritage and tourism terms its a strategy that appears to have worked.

For 50 years we’ve encouraged our farmers to produce more and more produce, that we don’t eat, in intensive ways that harm the landscape and wildlife. Only recently have we started programmes to pay some farmers to manage the land for both environmental and productive purposes.

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Some relevance:

http://www.nzz.ch/2004/10/04/english/page-synd5228558.html

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I can't remember the details (perhaps someone else can) but I gather that the Austrians encouraged people in the middle ages to live in the high mountains by charging those who lived above a certain height no (or less) tax. Which is partly why they have old villages as ski centers, while the French have mostly had to build from scratch.

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Rural 'desertification' of the Alps

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