1) Summary

“Pastoralist drop-out” – an abrupt cessation of traditional pastoralist livelihood activities, whether dictated by circumstance or more voluntary in nature – and the subsequent rural to urban migration that it entails has been rapidly increasing in Mongolia over the past two decades. This relatively new phenomenon is accompanied by profound and comprehensive demographic, socio-economic, and socio-cultural changes. This increasingly apparent and problematic shift is sure to have lasting implications for Mongolian society.

[Extract]

1. Introduction

2A. Overview of context in Mongolia

Mongolia is situated in the north-east of Asia, bordering Russia in the north, and the People’s Republic of China in the south. It is ranked 110 out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index2 and is classified by the United Nations Development Programme as middle income. With a population of 2.75 million people (33% below the age of 183), it is the most sparsely populated country in the world, and is also the second largest landlocked country in the world.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Record 2012 wheat harvest is officially estimated

• Wheat imports are forecast to reach the lowest level on record

• Livestock numbers have almost recovered but still remain below the pre-2009 natural disaster levels

• Prices of rice and wheat flour generally stable but the inflation rates remain high

Record 2012 wheat harvest is officially estimated

Today, Mongolian president Ts.Elbegdorj met with Mr.D.Terbishdagva, Deputy prime minister, Mr.Kh.Battulga, Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Ts.Tuvaan, deputy minister of Agriculture, Mr.T.Dulamdorj, Head of NEMA on winterization and zud issues.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Record 2012 wheat harvest is estimated. With sharp increases in cereal production in last five years, imports have steadily declined.

• Livestock numbers have partially recovered but still remain below the pre-2009 natural disaster levels

• Prices of rice and wheat flour have remained stable for several months but overall inflation is almost 15 percent

Record 2012 wheat harvest is estimated

Executive Summary

Rationale, Methods, and Objectives

Dzud is the Mongolian term for a winter weather disaster in which deep snow, severe cold, or other conditions render forage unavailable or inaccessible and lead to high live stock mortality. Dzud is a regular occurrence in Mongolia, and plays an important role in regulating livestock populations.
However, dzud, especially when combined with other environmental or socio‐economic stresses and changes, can have a significant impact on household well‐being as well as local and national economies.

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.

Mongolia regularly suffers from extreme weather conditions. The crisis is known locally as a dzud—a complex, long-lasting natural disaster in which a summer drought is followed by heavy snowfall and unusually low temperatures in winter.

But the most recent dzud, which happened between 2009 and 2010, was the catalyst for an important step in improving Mongolia’s disaster preparedness, response and coordination efforts. It is yielding results this winter.