New Project Aims to Help 4,000 Mongolian Herding Families Withstand Harsher Winters
A $2 million Adaptation Fund project managed by IFAD will help at least 4,000 herding families in Mongolia’s Bayankhongor and Dundgobi provinces cope with severe winters and droughts through water points, early warnings and processing centres.
A new project will help at least 4,000 herding families in Mongolia build resilience to increasingly harsh weather, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said. The three-year SMART-Herders project is financed by a $2 million grant from the Adaptation Fund.
Severe winters can cut herds off from grass
Mongolian herders face dzud, a severe winter combination of extreme cold, heavy snow and thick ice that stops livestock from reaching grass, threatening both animals and family incomes. The project will work in Bayankhongor and Dundgobi, identified as the two hardest-hit provinces.
Water, warnings and places to sell
Plans include two solar-powered water stations, 40 small earth banks to hold rainwater, and four flood-safe centres where herders can store, process and sell wool, hides and dairy products. A national database will be linked to warning systems for drought and severe winters, and 144 field schools will teach pasture and livestock management, with at least 40% women taking part, Devdiscourse reported.
IFAD runs the project with the Office of the President of Mongolia and the UN Industrial Development Organization. IFAD’s country director for Mongolia, Nii Quaye-Kumah, described the herders as people who understand their land and climate deeply but face rapid changes in the weather they grew up with.
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