M. Williams : I have been fortunate to travel around the world, experiencing many wonderful landscapes. But in all my travels, it has never ceased to shock me how we have a world where some people less live on less than one dollar a day, and others earn millions in almost minutes.

On my travels to the Himalayas, I was struck by the environment around me. Never had I seen such beauty, mixed with such extreme poverty. As I was scaling the stunning mountainous landscape, I passed by hundreds of farmers working in punishing conditions. They were picking crops in freezing temperatures, and barely had anything to show for it.

They live in tiny huts, barely enough to house their family; it was awful to see. Not only that, they are constantly at risk of attacks by wild predators. One farmer told me that the previous morning he woke up to see at his window, a Himalayan bear set on its haunches; all he could do was hold his breath and wait patiently until it went away.

Can we help? Clearly, the environment they work in makes it very difficult to change their circumstances. Cities are very remote, and the farmers depend on the harvesting season in order to provide for their families.

Should we be working harder to raise awareness of their strife? I think my responsibility as an explorer is not just to experience the world’s beauty, but also to tell people about those suffering. In the case of the beautiful Himalayas, we do not speak enough about these farmers. It was only when I got back to my home that I realized just how lucky we are.