Swiss try to halt exodus of farmers

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A Swiss foundation says it is trying to stop an exodus of mountain farmers leaving for cities by handing out more than $18 million to help sustain their farms.

Last year Swiss Mountain Aid funded more than 500 livelihood projects in the Swiss Alps to help people carve out a living in the alpine setting, Swissinfo reported Friday.

About 7,500 of Switzerland's 60,000 high-alpine residents are farmers raising either cattle, goats, pigs or dairy. Some are engaged in horticulture. But 1.5 percent of them leave for towns and cities in the valleys yearly.

The foundation said its strategy to slow the migration is to regroup the farm workers, have them raise or create specialized products, regionalize their farming approaches and collaborate with other sectors such as the tourist industry to generate outside interest.

"Huge solidarity is essential to keep the mountain regions alive," Hugo Hohn, director of Swiss Mountain Aid, said.

"It's essential they can secure decent salaries to be able to live where they have their roots," said executive board member Marcel Sandoz.

Each mountain farmer can receive a share of the $1.96 billion yearly direct payment or state subsidy every year, but they still struggle to survive, the foundation says.