By Pekka Reinikainen, Finnish Red Cross

In Mongolian, dzud is a silent disaster. Very few people will know the word, even if thousands suffer from its consequences. It is not an easy word to translate.

Dzud is heralded by a dry summer resulting in a poor harvest of hay for winter feed. Black dzud is characterised by extreme cold – down to -50°C – and white dzud is this cold accompanied by huge amounts of snow. It is a phenomenon that can have a major effect on the lives and livelihoods of those living in Mongolia.

Appealing to citizens, businesses, government and non-government organizations for donations Nintey percent of Mongolian territory has been covered with snow and 91 soums in 18 provinces are in a dzud state with a high density of snow that is 20-60 centimeters thick or up to 60-130 centimeters in some places.

More than 96 soums in 17 provinces are in further danger of entering the dzud state, if the snow thickness and density is increased.

NDRT members assessed the winter condition in Zavkhan, Khuvsgul, Arkhangai and Uvurkhangai provinces between 28 to 31st December.

In the frame of assessment, team members visited to herding families and had meetings with local government officials in affected soums. Winterization in those provinces are getting worse in many soums already, for example 80% of the Zavkhan territory has been covered by thick snow.

Bangkok — Drought in the United States and India is leading to higher food prices and has some experts warning Asia Pacific countries to step up investment in agriculture. Asia’s shifting dietary habits require greater imports and are raising fears over future food vulnerability.

Across the globe there is an increased focus on the challenge of producing enough food as the global population is predicted to reach nine billion by 2050. Scientists said food output must rise by 70 percent to meet demand.

Goulden has worked in Mongolia for about two decades, and for the last few years he’s been interviewing local herders. The meetings always follow the same basic pattern—first comes the tea, then the cheese, then pleasantries, then the questions. And from his methods, you might think he’s an anthropologist. But he’s actually an ecologist.

The first UNESCO Mobile Learning Week, organized in partnership with Nokia, will be held at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris to discuss the use of mobile technologies in education through an international experts’ meeting (12-14 December) and a symposium (14-16 December).

A diverse group of stakeholders will explore the potential and challenges of mobile learning in a world with over 5.3 billion mobile subscribers, approximately 90% of the planet’s population.

23 Sep 2011 15:00 Source: Reuters // Reuters

• Road to open next month, cut delivery time for coal shipments

• Herders face rapid change to pasture land, way of life

By David Stanway

UKHAA KHUDAG, Mongolia, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A lone cement ribbon bisecting hundreds of miles of shale and scrub on the high plains of Mongolia's Gobi Desert may be a talisman or curse for nomadic herders who trace their lineage to the empire of Genghis Khan.

The project has benefited a total of 1,763,432 people and 505,745 households

Overview

The Sustainable Livelihoods Project II (2008-2012) is the second part of a three-phase program, which aims to enhance livelihood security and sustainability by scaling up institutional mechanisms that reduce the vulnerability of communities throughout Mongolia.

The project, launched in 2008, has benefited a total of 1,763,432 people and 505,745 households: over 50 percent of the beneficiaries were women; 16 percent were below the poverty line and 19 percent were herders.

WAM Abu Dhabi, Jul 12th, 2011 (WAM) -- The 'Village', a humanitarian and development project commissioned by the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation in Mongolia will soon be ready for operation.

The project in the Olgiy province, in the west Mongolia is being implemented at a total cost of AED5 million as per directives from HH Sheikh Nahyan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed Humanitarian Foundation.