Living Land

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which was unsustainable use of pasture exceeding the carry-

ing capacity. ‘New generation’ herders have poor knowledge

of pasture use, and have limited experience in haymaking and

pasture rotation and fencing to support natural regeneration.

The UNDP project provided support for the formation of

herder groups and a series of training opportunities with field

demonstrations on pasture management, hayfield fencing,

soil quality improvement and maintenance techniques, and

methods of planting alfalfa and barley. In 2009, the train-

ing courses organised by the UNDP project enrolled over

2,600 participants, 60 per cent of whom were women. After

the training, with the project’s support, herder communities

fenced off 12 hectares of pasture in the Taats river valley in

2009. The project also provided technical assistance in restor-

ing old water ditches and establishing a borehole well to be

used in case of severe water shortage. The plot was used by a

former state collective farm to grow barley and for haymak-

ing over 20 years ago. However, due to irrigation difficulties

caused by continuously declining water levels, herders had

slowly abandoned crop farming.

In 2009, under the technical guidance of the UNDP project,

the ‘Bayantuhumiin Uguuj Horshoo’ herder group planted

alfalfa in 2.2 hectares, barley in 1 hectare, and 10 ha of land

was used for haymaking. Due to their collaborative efforts to

maintain hayfields, fencing and improved irrigation, herders

were able to once again harvest crops and prepare their own hay

for winter. The herder community harvested 2.5 tons of alfalfa,

2 tons of barley and 80 tons of hay that fully meet their needs.

The herders who worked on the hayfield established

a formal herder group involving 10 households and 23

members in 2010. The group leader, Mr D. Tumurchudur,

says: “We worked as one to rest our field from livestock, irri-

gated and used organic fertilizers, which rewarded us with a

good amount of hay. Because of the hay we reserved, we did

not lose a single lamb in the past severe winter. Neighbouring

herders now come to us to learn from our experience.”

He also stated that herders can harvest five times more hay

from one hectare by merely supporting natural regeneration.

Initially, the herders were pessimistic about planting new

crops. However, after seeing the first results, the community

was very much inspired. Herder group women made barley

flour and as well as using the flour for household needs, the

excess was sold on the provincial market generating a revenue

of Tog 500,000 (approximately US$385). The herder group

won first place by participating in the brand product fair of

Uvurkhangai province.

Following the experience of the Bayantuhumiin Uguuj

herder group, five new groups with 43 households were estab-

lished in 2010, all working on soil improvement and pasture

management. With UNDP support, the herders have created

added value and alternative income opportunities aside from

livestock husbandry through small-scale vegetable farming,

diversified diary and wool products.

With UNDP support, the annual soum-wide pasture/land

management plan is developed and implemented with herder

community participation, which will be the basis for signifi-

cantly reducing degraded land towards the end of the project.

The UNDP-supported herder groups have pioneered a revival

of collective action for pasture management and the preven-

tion of land degradation.

Aridity trends measured by Mongolia’s meteorological observation stations

Source: Min. Env. Mongolia

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