Food & Climate
Over the past decade, many nomadic herders in Mongolia have seen livestock deaths during the dzuds, threating 30 percent from their food sources. And subsequently migrated to urban centers in search of other livelihood opportunities.
As of 2020, approximately half of Mongolia’s population resided in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, according to some reports seen by “Food & Climate” platform.
Dzuds (Mongolian term that describes ‘severe winter conditions’’, sometimes spelled zud) is a cold-season disaster in which anomalous climatic (i.e., heavy snow and severe cold) and/or land-surface (snow/ ice cover and lack of pasture) conditions lead to reduced accessibility and/or availability of forage/pastures, and ultimately to high livestock mortality during winter–spring. Severe dzuds (high mortality) result from a combination of growing-season drought and severe weather, according to “United nation office for disaster risk reduction (UNDRR).
Mongolia is prone to frequent extreme weather events such as droughts, dust storms, flash floods, forest fires, and dzuds.
Recurring droughts in Mongolia severely hinder the production of staple crops—including animal fodder, barley, oats, potatoes, vegetables, and wheat—and negatively affect the livelihoods of many rural communities who rely on agricultural production as a primary source of household income, according to “ReliefWeb“.
livestock deaths
Approximately 30 percent of Mongolia’s population consists of nomadic pastoralists residing in remote rural areas and dependent on livestock rearing, which often provides a household’s entire income and approximately 30 percent of its food source.
As such, these populations remain particularly vulnerable to climate-related shocks, such as severe dzud during winter seasons in recent years. For example, dzud conditions between November 2023 and March 2024 resulted in the livestock deaths of approximately 7.2 million livestock, or approximately 11 percent of the country-wide herd, representing the worst such event since 2010, according to the UN.
The rapid urbanization of cities across Mongolia has resulted in a proliferation of informal urban settlements and worsening air pollution, placing additional pressure on the country’s already-fragile ecosystem. Pasture degradation, poverty, as well as climate variability and extreme weather events increase disaster risks for the growing populations of Mongolian cities.
Victims’ examples
In the heart of the dzud-affected region of Sukhbaatar Province in Mongolia, families that rely on livestock herding to survive are watching in despair as they witness their animals perish by the day due to cold and excessive snow cover.
The Khurelbaatar family, for example, has been heavily hit by this year’s unprecedented dzud. The family of five has seen their once-thriving herd reduced from over 400 animals to less than 100 since the start of winter.
“The ground is completely blanketed by thick snow, which undergoes a daily thaw-freeze cycle, creating icy conditions that damage animal hooves,” says Khurelbaatar B, a herder of Sukhbaatar province.
“Starved and exhausted pregnant ewes are particularly vulnerable,” he adds. “Without assistance, many succumb overnight, often several at a time. Simply moving them and providing hay or fodder is likely not enough due to their weakened state.”
The father in a family of five, Khurelbaatar, points out a particularly sombre spot near his house, where in heartbreaking silence lay the carefully stocked carcases of the animals that succumbed to the harsh winter conditions. Most herder households in the area have a simlar spot, according to “IFRC”.
While Khurelbaatar is eligible to receive a government disability subsidy of about CHF 80 per month, the loss of the family of livestock deathes has resulted in a significant decrease in their assets and income.
The shortage of cash has hindered their ability to purchase food and basic items, leaving them struggling to repay the bank loan they took to buy hay and fodder for their animals.
To alleviate the immediate crisis, the family received an animal care kit and bought hay with the multi-purpose cash assistance provided by the Mongolian Red Cross Society with funding from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance of USAID.
During a recent visit, a Mongolian Red Cross team provided a tarpaulin donated by the Korean Red Cross, to serve as a roof for the couple’s animal shelter. This shelter can hopefully protect the remaining livestock from the bone-chilling winds that plague the region.
The family remains determined and resilient, but challenges remain. Unsure of how they will overcome their current struggles and meet future obligations, this household faces uncertainty.