Sustainable model activities to support herders’ access to market piloted

June 21, 2023

Ulaanbaatar - 21 June 2023: The "Improving adaptive capacity and risk management of rural communities in Mongolia" (ADAPT) project funded by the Green Climate Fund and implemented by Ministry of Environment and Tourism with Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry and UNDP support, organized the Investment Fair (Fair) to promote sustainable and climate change resistant model activities for supporting sustainable livestock products and herders’ access to market.

The project is being implemented in four aimags including Khovd, Zavkhan, Dornod and Sukhbaatar from 2021 to 2028 with an aim to strengthen the climate resilience of herder communities where climate change is threatening natural resources and fragile ecosystems that their livelihood depends on.

During the Fair, a new partnership was formed among actors from the public and private sectors, as well as the community which was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, with the objective of implementing various model activities that will promote sustainable practices and enhance the resilience of the livestock sector while benefiting both the environment and the herders' livelihoods.

Activities focused on including pasture usage contracts to manage livestock numbers in line with pasture capacity and incentivize ecosystem services and improve livestock quality and support herders’ income growth through initiatives such as fattening lambs, providing green loans, establishing disease-free zones, and creating centralized trading points for livestock and products.

Investment Fair Participants

UNDP Mongolia

Furthermore, the activities also support climate-resilient development, which could be funded by the livestock tax specified in Article 60.2.8 of the Budget Law of Mongolia.

The pilot activities introduced at the Fair are aligned with the "Vision-2050" of Mongolia's long-term development policy that emphasizes the transformation of agriculture into a leading economic sector that is not only environmentally friendly but also resilient to climate change and capable of managing risks while contributing to the acceleration of Mongolia’s progress on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms. Elaine Conkievich, UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia, underscored the criticality of implementing targeted and comprehensive solutions to improve herders' resilience in the face of climate change and stated, "This is a pivotal moment to mobilize resources, introduce policy incentives, and enhance the capacity of herders to support their ability withstand the impacts of climate change and safeguard the invaluable nomadic way of life, which is a distinct and cherished aspect of Mongolia's heritage."

Representatives from Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, Governors of eight soums from the project target four aimags, herders from herder organizations, cooperatives, and groups, as well as the representatives of relevant government and local organizations, and private sectors, participated in the Fair.

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For further inquiries:

Erdenesukh Otgonbayar | Communications Analyst | UNDP Mongolia | erdenesukh.otgonbayar@undp.org