The specific conditions of mountain and especially Alpine farming require experienced and qualified farmers to guarantee sustainable agriculture in a sound ecological and economic environment. Beside natural-resource endowment, cultural, social and political conditions are important influencing factors. Based on a comprehensive study conducted by the authors in 2015, this paper compares the current structures, the development and basic conditions of selected Alpine NUTS III regions in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and Slovenia. Despite the common location in the Alpine space and – with the exception of Switzerland – the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the regions analysed show considerable variations in altitudes and climatic zones, regional demographic and economic contexts, different approaches in shaping the CAP as well as other basic socio-political conditions, for example taxation and rules of inheritance. Altogether these differences have led to very heterogeneous regional development paths and diverse effects on rural development in the area of conflicts between sustainability, resilience, competitiveness, preservation or innovation of structures, balancing or increasing regional disparities. Comparing these findings with the respective overall national characteristics may be decisive in understanding the necessities of mountain farming.