It
won't be for lack of hard work if the 11 men camped in a field
in northern Mongolia, toiling from morning to sundown, cut less
hay this year than they did last year. Last year they cut even
less than the year before.
The problem is that, according to government figures, at least
70 per cent of the country has been suffering from drought this
summer. That has dramatically reduced the amount of hay these
workers, all unemployed men involved in a Red Cross project,
can harvest. Mongolia's most vulnerable herders will suffer—the
hay was destined to feed their animals through the harsh winter
months to come.
Similar projects nationwide are having the same or worse difficulties
than this one, which is located some 200 kilometres north of
the capital Ulaanbaatar.
Moreover, according to the country's National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA), the drought suggests that the winter and spring
months could bring harsh weather – making the hay more
needed than ever for the country's 36 million herding animals,
which vastly outnumber the human population of 2.5 million.
The combination of extreme cold and lack of snow is known in
Mongolian as "black dzud" – when the hay will
be more needed than ever.
That has occurred several times in the last few years, leaving
millions of animals dead and thousands of rural families without
any means of earning income. By contrast, a "white dzud"
is when the country is blanketed in excessive snow, leaving
livestock freezing to death and unable to move to where there
is food.
“By the time winter weather halts their work, the men
are only expected to have harvested about 75 tonnes of hay,
against a projected figure of 100 tonnes,” says Otgonbayar,
Secretary of the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) branch in
Darkhan city. The Darkhan branch is responsible for this project
area, some 70 kilometres distant by mostly unpaved road.
In contrast, when the project started in 2005 the fields yielded
240 tonnes. Last year only 150.
"If I can't get enough hay for my animals, I might have
to sell some sheep and cattle this winter," said Togtuur,
a 54-year-old widow with four children, whose family is one
of those receiving free hay from the Red Cross project.
She is well-placed to understand the perilous turns of Mongolia's
climate these last few years. When dramatic floods struck the
area in 2004, her family lost their ger, or traditional felt
tent and all their possessions and her husband fell sick and
died. With support from the Red Cross and the U.S. Embassy,
she now has a new ger and has been able to rebuild her livelihood.
One of her sons, Enkhbaatar, has worked on the hay project.
Under the project, which is funded by the Finnish and Norwegian
Red Cross societies through the International Federation, some
60 per cent of the hay is distributed free to families with
fewer than 50 animals.
Another 20 per cent is sold at a substantial discount to those
with between 50 and 70 livestock. The remaining 20 per cent
sold on the open market to raise money for next year’s
project.
The shortage of hay looks certain to be replicated at a national
level.
“Only ten out of the country's 17 provinces are producing
any hay at all and the total production is certain to be significantly
down on 2006 levels,” lamented Enkhbold Bold-Erdene, who
is the MRCS Disaster Preparedness and Relief Programme Officer.
Even more worryingly, the national government's disaster preparedness
stocks are feeling the shortage too. The Agriculture Ministry
recently announced that only 48 per cent of the projected amount
of hay had so far been stockpiled.
Time is running short, before winter sets in, although the critical
period for Mongolia's herders and their animals to survive may
not come until next spring.
MRCS Secretary General Ravdan Samdandobji said he had already
had many meetings with anxious herders about how to prepare
for the coming months.
"Usually the international emergency assistance comes quite
late, when the situation is already worsening" and many
people cannot survive economically, explained Samdandobji.
The time to act is now, before winter’s "black dzud"
takes its toll. Vulnerable families are moving to areas where
there is more hay. MRCS branches in some provinces have been
encouraging wealthier herders, who have hundreds of animals,
to lend some to the poorer families, who then keep some of the
lambs or calves.
The International Federation and partner Red Cross societies
are supporting the Mongolian Red Cross to bolster its capacity
at seven Regional Disaster Response Centres. Over the next three
years, these strategically located centres will be able to respond
more quickly and effectively than ever before to disasters to
support Mongolia's most vulnerable communities.
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Togtuur,
a 54-year-old widow, is one of those receiving free hay
from the Darkhan project. The family lost their ger or
felt tent and all their possessions in dramatic flooding
in 2004 and her husband fell ill and died, leaving her
alone with four children. Red Cross and U.S. Embassy aid
helped provide a new ger and get back on her feet again.
(Francis Markus/IFRC) (p16570)
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Workers
on the Red Cross hay project some 70 kilometers from Mongolia's
second city Darkhan. This and other similar projects throughout
the country not only provide free and discounted hay for
vulnerable families, they also provide jobs for local
unemployed people. (Francis Markus/IFRC) (p16571)
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A
truck carrying hay to Darkhan city from the Red Cross
project some 70 km away. The trailers are being reloaded
because they were stacked late at night and the bales
are in danger of toppling. (Francis Markus/IFRC) (p16573)
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A
herder and his animals along the road from Ulaanbaatar
to Darkhan, some 200 kilometers to the north. The country's
36 million sheep, goats and cattle vastly outnumber a
human population of 2.5 million people and provide the
main source of income for many Mongolians. (Francis Markus/IFRC)
(p16574)
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Mongolian
Red Cross Society Secretary General Ravdan Samdandobji,
dressed in the traditional Mongolian del. Mr. Samdandobji
has had many meetings with worried herders about how to
prepare for the winter ahead and urges the international
community to step in with timely help before the situation
worsens. (Francis Markus/IFRC) (p16575)
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