Mongolians and their livestock have lived on the steppe for centuries. And although the steppe may seem like vast and open land, more than 60 million animals graze on its pasture. Raising livestock is the most important livelihood in Mongolia – and is the sole source of income for 35 percent of households.

The life of a livestock herder defies the challenges brought by Mongolia’s climate – summers are very hot and dry and winters bitterly cold. And over the past two decades, climate change has made a phenomenon known as a dzud, a very harsh winter preceded by a hot, dry summer, more severe and more frequent.

During a dzud the ground is frozen solid under deep snow, meaning that livestock cannot reach any pasture. Poor grazing during the summer months has not allowed the animals to build up the storage of fat they need for winter and consequently, large numbers of livestock die from either starvation or cold.

When natural sources of food are scarce, livestock herders end up needing to buy extra fodder to keep their livestock fed. If they cannot afford the extra food, these livestock herders then find themselves facing financial ruin in the space of just one season.

When herders’ livelihoods are devastated by the cumulative effects of the dzuds, and by the high-interest loans they take out to survive, many move to the cities. Already destitute, they live in yurts on the outskirts, devoid of working infrastructure, and unable to break out of the poverty cycle.

In the last two years, FAO has implemented four emergency programmes in response to severe dzuds to try to mitigate the devastating impact on the poorest herders. FAO has brought an in-depth understanding of the country to the interventions as well as the experience of livestock programmes and hands-on skills in implementation.


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