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The Alps: tourism and traffic - Alpine farmers

4 important questions on The Alps: tourism and traffic - Alpine farmers

What did alpine farmers in the past do?

In summer the farmers took their cattle to graze on the natural pasture above the tree line. Because the path from the valley to the alpine meadows (alms) was long and difficult to climb, the farmers built cowsheds at different places on the mountainside. They themselves lived in a hut or chalet in the alms in summer and in the farmhouse in the valley in winter.

Now they don't do anymore, because there are roads now which make it much easier to travel valley and the alpine meadows. Most of the farmers live in the valley all year round.

What did many alpine farmers do because they found it hard to get a decent income from farming?

They looked for extra ways of earning money. Seasonal migration was the only option for many of them. They went to the cities and earned extra money by working there for a while. Nowadays farmers can earn extra money from tourism. Many have given u farming completely and work fulltime in the tourist sector.