Spatial pattern recognition for near-surface high temperature increases in mountain areas using MODIS and SRTM DEM

Abrupt near-surface temperature changes in mountainous areas are a special component of the mountain climate system.Fast and accurate measurements of the locations,intensity,and width of the near-surface changes are necessary but highly difficult due to the complicated environmental conditions and instrumental issues.This paper develops a spatial pattern recognition method to measure the near-surface high temperature increase(NSHTI),one of the lesser-attended changes.First,raster window measurement was proposed to calculate the temperature lapse rate using MODIS land surface temperature and SRTM DEM data.It fully considers the terrain heights of two neighboring cells on opposite or adjacent slopes with a moving window of 3×3 cell size.Second,a threshold selection was performed to identify the NSHTI cells using a threshold of-0.65℃/100 m.Then,the NSHTI strips were parameterized through raster vectorization and spatial analysis.Taking Yunnan,a mountainous province in southwestern China,as the study area,the results indicate that the NSHTI cells concentrate in a strip-like pattern along the mountains and valleys,and the strips are almost parallel to the altitude contours with a slight northward uplift.Also,they are located mostly at a 3/5 height of high mountains or within 400 m from the valley floors,where the controlling topographic index is the altitude of the terrain trend surface but not the absolute elevation and the topographic uplift height and cutting depth.Additionally,the NSHTI intensity varies with the geographic locations and the proportions increase with an exponential trend,and the horizontal width has a mean of about 1000 m and a maximum of over 5000 m.The result demonstrates that the proposed method can effectively recognize NSHTI boundaries over mountains,providing support for the modeling of weather and climate systems and the development of mountain resources.

Dry Breeding and Dry Planting Techniques for Indica Hybrid Rice in Karst Mountain Areas of Gejiu City

Based on the arable land situation in Gejiu City,upland dry planting of indica hybrid rice is being expanded in Karst mountain areas with a rainfall of over 1400 mm and an altitude of 1100-1600 m to develop grain production.This paper gives a specific description of hybrid rice upland dry seedling technology,upland transplanting technology,fertilization technology,field management,weed prevention and control technology,and disease and pest control.

Can Multiple Livelihood Interventions Improve Livelihood Resilience of Out-of-poverty Farmers in Mountain Areas?A Case Study of Longnan Mountain Area,China

Clarifying the impact of livelihood interventions on the livelihood resilience of farmers in undeveloped mountain areas can not only optimize interventions,but also provide experiential support for global poverty alleviation.To analyze the impact of multiple livelihood interventions on livelihood resilience,we constructed an analytical framework and analyzed the enjoyment of livelihood interventions and the heterogeneity of livelihood resilience among out-of-poverty farmers in the Longnan mountain areas,China.Then,we studied the impact of intervention intensity on livelihood resilience through the multiple linear regression model.The results revealed that:1)the livelihood interventions enjoyed by out-of-poverty farmer in mountain areas were multiple.The proportion of farmers enjoyed diversified livelihood interventions was in descending order of high mountain areas,semi-mountain area and Chuanba valley areas.2)The overall livelihood resilience of farmers in Longnan mountain areas was generally low,with an average of 0.299.There were significant differences in the livelihood resilience of farmers across different geographic areas in the study area and types of interventions.3)The effects of industry interventions,employment interventions and education interventions were significant.The endogenous power of farmers not only had a significant positive effect on livelihood resilience,but also positively moderated the impact of the intensity of interventions on livelihood resilience.In addition,the household dependency ratio and the average altitude of the village area had a significant negative impact on their livelihood resilience.

Applications of AnnAGNPS Model for Sediment and Nutrient Loadings for Funiu Mountain Area, China

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of AnnAGNPS(Annualized AGricultural NonPoint Source)pollution model,in calculating runoff,sediment loading and nutrient loadings for Funiu Mountain area.Most of the model input parameters were sourced from Luanchuan Forest Ecology Station(LFES)in Funiu Mountain area.The data on 23 storms in 2018 was used to calibrate the model and the data on 33 storms in 2019 for validation.The whole evaluation consisted of determining the coefficient of determination(R^(2)),Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency(E),and the percentage volume error(VE).Results showed that the runoff volumes were underpredicted by 5.0%with R^(2) of 0.93(P<0.05)during calibration and underpredicted by 5.3%with R^(2) of 0.90(P<0.05)during validation.But sediment loading was able to produce a moderate result.The model underpredicted the daily sediment loading by 15.1%with R^(2) of 0.63(P<0.05)during calibration and 13.5%with R^(2) of 0.66(P<0.05)during validation.Nitrogen loading was overpredicted by 20.3%with R^(2)=0.68(P<0.05),and phosphorus loading performance was slightly poor with R^(2)=0.65(P<0.05)during validation.In general,the model performed well in simulating runoff compared to sediment loading and nutrient loadings.

Abandoned land identification in karst mountain area based on time series SAR characteristics at geo-parcels scale

Mapping abandoned land is very important for accurate agricultural management.However,in karst mountainous areas,continuous high-resolution optical images are difficult to obtain in rainy weather,and the land is fragmented,which poses a great challenge for remote sensing monitoring of agriculture activities.In this study,a new method for identifying abandoned land is proposed:firstly,a few Google Earth images are used to transform arable land into accurate vectorized geo-parcels;secondly,a time-series data set was constructed using Sentinel-1A Alpha parameters for 2020 on each farmland geoparcel;thirdly,the semi-variation function(SVF)was used to analyze the spatial-temporal characteristics,then identify abandoned land.The results show:(1)On the basis of accurate spatial information and boundary of farmland land,the SAR time-series dataset reflects the structure and time-series response.abandoned land with an accuracy of 80.25%.The problem of remote sensing monitoring in rainy regions and complex surface areas is well-resolved.(2)The spatial heterogeneity of abandoned land is more obvious than that of cultivated land within geoparcels.The step size for significant changes in the SVF of abandoned land is shorter than that of cultivated land.(3)The SVF time sequence curve presented a strong peak feature when farmland was abandoned.This reveals that the internal spatial structure of abandoned land is more disordered and complex.It showed that time-series variations of spatial structure within cultivated land have broader applications in remote sensing monitoring of agriculture in complex imaging environments.

The simulation of LUCC based on Logistic-CA-Markov model in Qilian Mountain area, China

The Qilian mountain area was examined for using the Logistic-CA-Markov coupling model combined with GIS spatial analyst technology to research the transformation of LUCC, driving force system and simulate future tendency of variation. Results show that： （1） Woodland area decreased by 12.55%, while grassland, cultivated land, and settlement areas increased by 0.22%, 7.92%, and 0.03%, respectively, from 1986 to 2014. During the period of 1986 to 2000, forest degradation in the middle section of the mountain area decreased by 1,501.69 km2. Vegetation cover area improved, with a net increase of grassland area of 38.12 km2 from 2000 to 2014. （2） For constructing the system driving force, the best simulation scale was 210m×210m. Based on logistic regression analysis, the contribution （weight） of composite driving forces to land use and cover change was obtained, and the weight value was more objectively compared with AHP and MCE method. （3） In the natural scenarios, it is predicted that land use and cover distribution maps of Qilian mountain area in 2028 and 2042, and the Lee-Sallee index test was adopted. Over the next 27 years （2015-2042）, farmland, woodland, grassland, settlement areas show an increasing trend, especially settlements with an obvious change of 0.56%. The area of bare land will decrease by 0.89%. Without environmental degradation, tremendous structural change of LUCC will not occur, and typical characteristic of the vertical zone of the mountain would remain. Farmland and settlement areas will increase, but only in the vicinity of Qilian and Sunan counties.

Optimal livelihood strategy for different poverty groups among farmers: a case study of the Qin-Ba Mountain area in South-Shaanxi, China

Achieving sustainable livelihood is the ultimate goal of poverty alleviation efforts in mountainous areas,and selecting an optimal livelihood strategy for different poverty-type farmers greatly improves farmers’livelihood capital,resists livelihood risks,and promotes sustainable development.For farmers,optimal livelihood strategy means better employment opportunities,higher family income(or better income structure),and stronger employability or development potential.This paper classifies different types of farmers’poverty on the basis of a quantitative evaluation of farmers’livelihood capital in the Qin-ba Mountain Area in South-Shaanxi by using the k-means clustering method and subsequently the fuzzy evaluation method to evaluate the effectiveness of farmers’livelihood strategies.Then,the multi-attribute decision-making model is used to analyze the selection of optimal livelihood strategies for different poverty-type farmers.The results suggest a significant difference in the selection of the optimal livelihood strategy for different poverty-type farmers.Farmers without financial and human capital choose to"go out to work,"farmers lacking natural capital choose to"acquire social insurance and government relief,"farmers without physical capital choose to"use loans,"and farmers lacking social capital choose to"use savings."Studying the selection of optimal livelihood strategies for different poverty-type farmers can help to propose targeted sustainable livelihood optimization programs for farmers and accelerate efforts to overcome poverty in mountainous areas.

Function of Rural Settlement Complex Ecosystem in Mountain Area:A Case Study of Raosi Village of Zuogong County,Tibet

Using energy analysis,the quantifying evaluation and study method on production, living and ecology functions and their sustainability of rural settlement ecosystem in mountain area is established with these energy index such as export of labor and products, export of water resource, internal energy reserve, energy consumption for human living, net energy of ecosystem function and net internal reserve. Taking rural settlement Raosi Village in Hengduan Mountains as a case study, and on the basis of the synthetic research into the ecological process of the complex ecosystem, the study shows that energy costs of production, human living and ecology functions are separately taking 1.36%, 13.59% and 85. 05% of the gross ecosystem functions, and the exertions of production and human living functions are close to a high-point state on the present using level of energy in the settlement. The study also shows that the most important function of a rural settlement in mountain area is its ecological rather productive function.

Degradation of a protected mountain area by tourist traffic:case study of the Tatra National Park,Poland

Mountain protected areas are characterized by high biodiversity,which makes it a great challenge for managers to maintain a balance between their use and the stability of natural ecosystems.Maintaining that balance is particularly difficult in areas with high tourism pressure.The expected volume of tourist traffic should be considered at the planning stage of the tourist infrastructure development process.Insufficient capacity of tourist infrastructure can lead to environmental degradation,which is hard,or at times impossible,to repair.In our research,we identified patterns of tourist footpath and road functioning in an environmentally protected area with high volumes of tourist traffic.Data from geomorphologic mapping was analyzed in order to identify tourist footpath and road structures in the Tatra National Park(TNP).Fieldwork was conducted in several stages between 1995 and 2019.Orthophotomaps from the years 1977,2009,2017 and 2019 were used to identify and compare degraded zones along selected tourist footpaths.Degraded zones were defined as areas surrounding a footpath or tourist road with a mean width larger than or equal to 10 meters,with heavily damaged or completely removed vegetation and exposed,weathered cover,where geomorphic processes that would not take place under normal conditions are readily observable.The examined tourist footpaths and roads vary in terms of their morphometric parameters.Research has shown important differences between mean and maximum footpath width as well as maximum incision depth for the forest zone versus the subalpine and alpine zones.A lack of differences in these parameters was noted between the alpine and subalpine zones.Research has shown that an increase in the surface area of degraded zones found adjacent to tourist footpaths occurred in all the studied geo-ecological zones in the study period.However,the largest increase occurred atop wide ridgelines found in the alpine zone.Degraded zones may be an indication of exceeding the tourist carrying capacity of a mountain tourist area.Mass tourism in TNP contributes to the formation of degraded zones adjacent to footpaths,whose continuous evolution may lead to irreversible changes in local relief.

Estimation of evapotranspiration with drainage lysimeters in the Taihang Mountain area,China

In this research, the evapotranspiration （ET） of three native vegetation communities were measured using drainage lysime- ters in the Taihang Mountain area, China. They are a local grass, Themedajaponica, a local shrub, Vitex negundo var. heterophylla Rebd. and a mixture of both communities. The ET was measured using level lysimeters （with a slope of 0°） and slope lysimeters （with a slope of 25°）. In general, the measured ET was higher in the level lysimeters than in the slope lysimeters because of the water loss of surface runoff from the slope lysimeter. The total ETs over the growing season for the grass, shrub, and the mixture were 730.4, 742.0 and 790.7 mm, respectively in the level lysimeters, and 535.5, 504.1 and 540.1 mm, respectively in the slope lysimeters. In addition, the monthly ET peaked in August and had close linear relationship with leaf area index. The drainage lysimeter is an effective tool to estimate plant ET in mountain areas. The results from this research would provide scientific information for the vegetation recovery and sustainable development of forestry in the TM areas.

Study of temperature and precipitation change in upstream mountain area of the Hexi inland river basin since 1960s

All rivers in the Hexi inland region of Gansu Province, China, originate from the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains. They are located in the southern portion of the region and respectively belong to the three large river systems from east to west, the Shiyang, Heihe and Shule river basins. These rivers are supplied by precipitation, snowmelt and ice-melt runoff from the Qilian Mountain area. Therefore, changes of precipitation and temperature in the upstream watersheds of these rivers have an important effect on changes of mountainous runoff and reasonable utilization of water resources in this region. For this reason, the Qilian Mountain area, upstream watersheds and runoff forming areas of these rivers are chosen as the study area. The change characteristics and variation trend of temperature and precipitation in this area under the backdrop of global warming axe analyzed based on observa- tional data of relational weather and hydrologic stations in the area. Results show that temperatures in the upriver mountain areas of these three large river basins have been increasing, although the increasing degree is differentially affected by global warming. The rising extent of annual and seasonal temperatures in the upstream mountain area of the Shule river basin located in the west- em Qilian Mountains, were all largest over the past 50 years. Precipitation in the upstream mountain areas of Hexi region＇ three river basins located respectively in the western, middle and eastern Qilian Mountains have been presenting an increasing trend to varying degrees as a whole for more than 50 years. This means that climate in the upstream mountain areas of Hexi region＇ three river basins are becoming increasingly warmer and moister over the past 50 years, which will be very good for the ecological en- vironment and agricultural production in the region.

The relationship between ENSO cycle and temperature,precipitation and runoff in the Qilian mountain area

El Nino and La Nina are the events concerned internationally. The corresponding relationship between El Nino events, temperature, precipitation and runoff in the Qilian mountain area are analyzed according to the date from the weather and the hydrometric stations in the area, the results show that effects of El Nino events to temperature, precipitation and runoff are different in the different time and zones. When El Nino occurs, temperature rises, but precipitation and runoff decrease in the whole Qilian mountain area, especially in the east and middle parts of the area. Temperature rises, precipitation and runoff still decrease in the eastern Qilian mountain area in the next year El Nino occurring, but decrease extent is fewer. There are not obvious relationship between temperature, precipitation and runoff with El Nino events in the western Qilian mountain area.

Influence of social capital on the livelihood strategies of farmers under China's rural revitalization strategy in poor mountain areas: A case study of the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture

Social capital in the form of social resources or social networks is one of the most important livelihood capital of farmers, which can increase the labor productivity of poor households and increase income. It is important to explore the reasons underlying the livelihood strategy choices of farmers from the perspective of social capital under China’s rural revitalization strategy. In this study, the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, a povertystricken mountainous area in southwestern China, was selected as the case study area, and multivariable linear regression models were constructed to analyze the influence of social capital on livelihood strategies.The results are as follows:(1) Individual social capital had a positive effect on non-agricultural livelihood strategies. On average, with a one-unit increase in individual social capital, the ratio of farmers’ nonagricultural income to total productive income(Income_Rto) increased by 0.002% and 0.062%,respectively. Collective social capital, with the Peasant Economic Cooperation Organization(PECO) as the carrier, had a negative effect on the non-agricultural livelihood strategies of farmers;on average, with a oneunit increase in PECO, Income_Rto decreased by approximately 0.053%. However, this effect was only significant in the river valley area.(2) The income differences among the different livelihood strategy types were explained by the livelihood strategy choices of farmers. As non-agricultural work can bring more benefits, the labor force exhibited one-way migration from villages to cities, resulting in a lack of the subject of rural revitalization. It is necessary to implement effective measures to highlight the role of PECO in increasing agricultural income for farmers. Finally,based on the above conclusions,policy recommendations with respect to livelihood transformation of farmers and rural sustainable development are discussed.

Analysis on the Climatic Characteristics of Hail in the South Mountain Area of Ningxia

[Objective] The research aimed to study the climatic characteristics of hail in the southern mountain area of Ningxia in recent 50 years. [Method] Based on the hail observation data of 5 surface meteorological stations (Guyuan, Xiji, Jingyuan, Longde, Liupanshan) in the south of Ningxia during 1960-2009, the spatial distribution rule, the interannual and monthly climatic characteristics and variation trends of hail in the south mountain area of Ningxia were analyzed by using the statistical method. Moreover, the hail disaster prevention and reduction measures in Guyuan were put forward. [Result] The hail in the south mountain area of Ningxia in recent 50 years had the obvious annual, seasonal, monthly and daily variation characteristics. The hail might occur from March to October and mainly concentrated during May-August which occupied 72% in the whole year. The occurrence probability of hail in June was the biggest and occupied 21.7% in the whole year. It was the typical multi-hail zone in summer. The interannual variation of hail occurrence in Guyuan was big and had 3-year periodicity. The secondary-order time trend of hail in Guyuan was the anti-parabolic type, and the hail occurrence times during the 1960s-1980s presented the increase trend. It was the hail multi-occurrence period in the 1970s and 1980s. After the 1990s, the hail presented the decrease trend. In recent 20 years, the hail significantly decreased. The hail in Guyuan mainly concentrated during 12:00-21:00, and the hail occurrence times occupied 85% of total times. The hail distribution in Guyuan area had the obvious regional characteristics. The hail in the mountain area, hilly area was more and in the stream valley, north Pingchuan area was less. The hail cloud mainly derived from the mountain areas, such as Liupanshan, Nanhua Mountain, Yueliang Mountain, Xifeng Mountain and Yunwu Mountain, etc. The move direction of hail cloud was mainly from northwest to southeast or from north to south. Part of hail cloud disappeared in the original place. According to the regional distribution of hail, the hail risk in Guyuan City was divided into the high, moderate and low occurrence zones by combining with the hail disaster data. [Conclusion] The research provided the scientific basis for the forecast, early-warning of hail weather and the artificial hail suppression.

Relationship between diversity of forest plant and community dynamics in eastern mountain area of Heilongjiang Province, China

The biodiversity was studied in 26 communities with different structures in Maoershan National Park and Liangshui Natural Reserve of Northeast Forestry University in Heilongjiang Province, China. Composition index （CI） was taken as a parameter to quantify the community dynamics, which can nicely describe forest community dynamics, meanwhile, the relationship between diversity and community dynamics were also investigated and analyzed. Results showed that the total number species of community, richness, evenness, and Shannon-Wiener diversity index were obviously different in every community. The richness decreased with the increasing CI of every community, which means richness was in inverse proportion to community dynamics. The Shannon-Wiener index of every community increased from the initial stage to the middle stage of succession, and then decreased in the climax stage. The coverage weighted foliage-height diversity index increased along with the increase of CI, which was similar as the oattem diversity.

A DEM fusion method for ascending and descending orbit StereoSAR DEMs in complicated mountain areas considering SAR echo intensity

To extract the high-quality DEM in complicated mountain areas,a DEM fusion method for ascending and descending orbit StereoSAR DEMs considering Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)echo intensity is proposed.After the analysis for the influence of terrain features and SAR side-looking imaging characteristics on radar echo intensity and DEM accuracy,four Terras AR-X images with the stripmap mode and the 3 m spatial resolution covering a certain area of Maoxian County,Sichuan Province,China,was selected as the experimental area.StereoSAR technology was used to extract the ascending orbit StereoSAR DEM and the descending orbit StereoSAR DEM,respectively,and the corresponding radar echo intensity map was calculated.Then,while comparing the radar echo intensity corresponding to the same point position,DEM fusion was carried out,and the accuracy of DEM before and after the fusion was analyzed with the ground points measured by GNSS-RTK as reference data.Finally,a high-quality DEM with a 3 m spatial resolution in the experimental area was obtained.The DEM accuracy was improved on all slopes,and the mean absolute deviation(MAD)improved to 4.798 m,the standard deviation(SD)improved to 6.087 m and the LE90 improved to 40.48 m.The experimental results indicate that the fusion method of highresolution ascending and descending orbit StereoSAR DEMs considering SAR echo intensity can effectively extract DEM with high accuracy and reliability,which can provide technical support for obtaining highquality terrain information in similar areas.

Primary Deformation Analyses of High Pressure Metamorphic Rock in Western Dabie Mountain Area

In the western Dabie Mountain area, the eclogites have similar compositions and tectonic environment, which could be contrastively researched. Except for the reservation of the early structural deformation inside and outside of the eclogite lens, there is no obvious difference between the characteristics of the foliation and lineation in the eclogite lens from the one in surrounding region. So this paper concludes that the eclogites or blueschists (high pressure metamorphic rocks, i. e. HPM) are basically situated in the original position. The eclogites are mostly superposed by the ductile shear zone and show the feature of structural displacement, but so far we have not discovered any large scale structural zone to uplift eclogite return. Based on the analyses of finite strain measure, petrofabric analysis and TEM image for some minerals such as quartz and garnet, we could efficiently know the deforming characteristics of the eclogite in the prophase and anaphase of the main deforming epoch, and finally determine the forming condition of eclogite according to the strain and the differential stress. This paper puts forward preliminary conclusion that some HPM rocks could be formed by the deep layer embedding and local stress concentration in the process of regional metamorphism.

Quantitative Analysis on the Relationship between Population Distribution and Environment Factors in Mountain Area

[Objective] The aim was to analyze the relationship between population distribution and environment factors in mountain area quantitatively.[Method] Taking the contiguous area of Sichuan,Yunnan and Guizhou Province as study object,population density and residential point density were chosen as the indices of population distribution,and the quantitative relationship between population distribution and environment factors (including altitude,topography relief amplitude,land use,road network and river network) in mountain area was analyzed.[Result] Altitude and topography relief amplitude in mountain area had obvious negative correlation with population density and residential point density,and the correlation coefficients with population density were-0.731 and-0.743.In addition,residential points were fewer in the region far from rivers,but there was no obvious correlation between population density and river network density.Residential point density was higher in cultivated land and construction land,and population density had obvious positive correlation with the area proportions of cultivated land and construction land,with the correlation coefficients of 0.895 and 0.726,respectively.Besides,the more distant from road,the smaller residential point density,and there was obvious positive correlation between population density and road network density,with the correlation coefficient of 0.823.[Conclusion] The study could lay a foundation for the further development of spatiality of population data in study region.

Identification of Paris polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis(Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.(Polygerm Varieties) Produced in Gaoligong Mountain Areas

[Objectives] To make original plant and microscopic identification and study the traits of Paris polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis( Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.( polygerm varieties) produced in Gaoligong Mountain areas,and provide experimental data for their identification and application. [Methods] The original plant powder was used,and paraffin sections and physicochemical properties were identified. [Results]P. polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis( polygerm varieties) produced in Gaoligong Mountain areas showed obvious microscopic features and physicochemical properties. [Conclusions] This study was expected to provide certain reference for identification of original plant and medicine and formulation of quality standard for P. polyphylla Smith var. yunnanensis( polygerm varieties) produced in Gaoligong Mountain areas,and provided basis for their further research and development.

Income Inequality in Mountain Areas: The Case of Agroforestry Farming Systems in Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania

Land degradation due to use of unsustainable agricultural practices has affected many communities in rural mountain areas rendering them to be more vulnerable to income poverty and inequality. In this case, agroforestry systems promise to offer great solutions as they can be developed in unfavourable conditions where other production systems would either rapidly degrade the land or otherwise would not be possible. However, little is known whether agroforestry can address issues of income inequality in mountain areas. Hence, we conducted a study to investigate the nature and determinants of income inequality in Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. Specifically, we used the cross-sectional research design and we calculated the income percentile shares, Gini coefficients and the coefficient of variation (CV), to pinpoint the nature of income inequality in the study area. The determinants of income inequality were analysed using the step by step multiple linear model. The results of analysis suggested prevalence of income inequality. Crop production was the main source of income in the agroforestry systems of the study area. Earnings from crops and timber were decreasing income-inequality amongst smallholder farmers. Our disaggregated analysis showed that off-farm income was also decreasing income-inequality for farmers with farmlands located close to homestead, for female-headed households, for farmers who did not access extension services, and those who were members of community-based financial institutions. Estimated incomes increased with household assets, size of farmland, and age of household head. However, the same decreased with household size. We found gender disparity to be one of the key issues that need attention in formulating future policies to reduce inequality. We recommend promotion of livelihood diversification as well as the designing and implementation of tailor-made training and farm financing mechanism to help the less resource-endowed farmers in mountain areas to raise their economic portfolios and social status and combat income poverty and inequality.