Long before the sub-primes crisis and the global collapse we’re experiencing today, the rural world faced multiple downturns, not least among them the dwindling price of milk — and Switzerland was not spared. But the Swiss are a resourceful people, and they actually came up with refreshing ideas to promote their generous nature and rural economy.

The Bauernkalender 2009 (Peasant Calendar 2009) shot by Claude Stahel is a perfect illustration of this unique Swiss strategy. The calendar’s website features an online order page and a short biography of all the participants. 22-year-old baker Pierre, the coverboy (above, left), spent the last 4 years managing a dairy cow facility involved in the protection of the threatened Evolène breed. 18-year-old farmer Martin (above, right) is training to become a carpenter, thinks that food traceability is paramount, and wrestling is his favorite hobby.

More Swiss hotties in the gallery, along with the guys of Men in the Alps (below) who all come from South Tyrol, an autonomous province of Italy — and we all know that even the slightest hint of Italian flavor adds to the inherent hazard of scantily clad hunks. It’s worth noting that the Alpine men do it for a cause: the net proceeds of their calendar — shot by Peter Viehweider — go to charitable institutions dedicated to helping the ill, handicapped or socially underprivileged in the province.

Bauernkalender 2009
Men in the Alps