Projects
Mongolia
On this page you will find information regarding the project you selected. A summary of the project proposal can be found in the publications section at the bottom of the page.
Description
| Title: | Pastureland degradation and poverty among herders in Mongolia |
| Theme(s) | Climate, Agriculture |
| Method(s) | Game Theory |
General Information
Since the beginning of the transition to a market economy herders in Mongolia are encountered with enormous challenges. The overgrazing and degradation of pastureland resulted from among others the herders’ behavior to maximize animal numbers seriously jeopardizes the vulnerable livelihood of small herders’ household economies. Government’s policy shift for promoting more productivity-oriented strategies is likely to take long and intensive efforts until Mongolian herders adopt them. Traditionally, herders believe that after bad years good years come and they will be able to recover losses occurred during the bad years. This mentality persists to exist and appears to be a major psychological barrier preventing herders from preparing better for winter and cherishes the mentality to maximize animal numbers. The clear demonstration of linkages between human misbehaviour and the pastureland degradation through adequate analyses is believed to make contributions to the facilitation of these policy and practical efforts.
Research objectives:
• Identify and document the linkage between human misbehavior and the pastureland degradation in 2 selected districts in the poverty context
• Analyze the impact of the pastureland degradation on the livelihood of herders
• Bring the undertaken analyses and deepened understanding to bear on national policy formulation
• Produce recommendations where applicable to mitigate the pastureland degradation by 'correcting' human misbehavior.
Project partners: Center for Policy Research, Mongolia and the Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt)
Photos
Publications for this project
- Journal Article: Pastureland degradation and poverty among herders in Mongolia: Data analysis and game estimation. In: Ecological Economics
- Policy Brief 09 - Herder communities in Mongolia's free market era: Improving livestock management and reducing pastureland degradation
- PREM Working Paper 05-10 - Carrying capacity dynamics, livestock commercialisation and land degradation in Mongolia's free market era
- PREM Working Paper 05-06 - Pastureland degradation and poverty within herder communities in Mongolia: data analysis and game estimation
- Summary Project #2: Mongolia
