Swiss alpine farmers face climate change and labor shortages
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Ernst Wandfluh, a Swiss National Council member and alpine farmer, expresses concern for the future of traditional farming in the face of changing conditions in the mountains.
Over the last twenty years, Wandfluh has observed the melting of permafrost, the “glue of the Alps”, leading to increased risks of rockslides and mudflows that threaten alpine huts and villages. He believes adapting to climate change is essential, advocating for water storage and improved road access to deliver supplies during droughts.
Historian Rahel Wunderli notes that the popular image of alpine life as idyllic and healthy, popularized by books like Johanna Spyri’s “Heidi,” doesn’t always reflect the reality of farming in mountainous regions. This image has been carefully maintained as a way to support tourism and the sale of alpine products, which are marketed with an emphasis on health and wellbeing. Beyond climate change, alpine farms also struggle with finding successors and accommodating modern work-life expectations.
Wandfluh stresses the importance of good housing, fair wages, and valuing the ability to bring families along for the long summer season. He hopes standardized homeschooling options can help address the challenges of educating children during the alpine season, and believes future generations will successfully adapt.
