Dzud (zud) refers to a severely harsh winter. It can span from heavy snowfall, severe negative temperatures, or other conditions which make usual pastoral resources unavailable leading to many livestock deaths. In 2009-2010 about 8.5 million livestock perished (approximately 20% of the livestock population) impacting 769,000 people (28% of the human population).1 Dzuds have happened throughout Mongolia’s history, but combined with political, social and environmental changes, the hazard is increasing and disasters are feared to be more common.
The political and social shift during the democratic revolution of 1990 replaced subsidized and regulated livestock and pasture management with an open access system which has unclear pasture regulation and overstocking.2 Other trends such as the decline herders movement has led to further degradation of pastures.3 Environmentally, the frequency and magnitude of drought and dzud have increased, especially in the last decade and this trend is likely to continue. A drought in the summer leads to even less capacity for fodder preparation and foraging in the winter. Herders are among the most vulnerable groups as they depend on pasture and water resources for their livestock.4
So how are disasters mitigated? Although some environmental conditions cannot be changed short-term (or at all), preparation for hazards can be improved. With effective risk management systems, hazards can be mitigated and disaster avoided. The focus on disaster risk reduction is coming from different actors at industry, NGO, and government levels. At a brief glance I found a broad range of hazard mitigation and post disaster relief which together can contribute to an increasingly effective response to hazards.
After the dzud of 2009-2010, the Mongolian government asked US$18.15 million for emergency and recovery funds from international donors. The Mongolian government allocated more than $4 million for immediate relief.5 Maiyet Cashmere places orders before shearing and pays a 50% cash deposit allowing herders to plan for harsh winters.6 In 2016, Mercy Corps provided 20,000 herders with a ‘Dzud Lesson Book’ with tips from experienced herders on harsh winters.7 In the winter of 2017, Red Cross responded with cash grant assistance for more than 11,000 people considered to be most vulnerable to allow them purchase of clothing, food, fodder, etc.8 Mercy Corps has piloted an SMS weather forecasting system that gives herders up-to-the-minute forecasts via text message.9 Up-to-date weather forecasts are hard to access in all rural regions, fostering better telecommunication for rural areas would provide a means for preparation.
There was no guide for the free market and the loss of government recovery for herds. Education and use of insurance is becoming more popular. Here is a video by World Bank explaining an index-based insurance program for herders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBVtoHc-CCE
Overall, there is a growing support for herders. They are an important, crucial part of Mongolia’s population, history, culture, and economy. For as many projects that support herders during these harsh winters, there will still need to be long term projects mitigating the environmental and social patterns which are increasing the risk of the natural hazard of dzuds.
1World Bank, 2012. Lessons from the Dzud: Adaptation and Resilience in Mongolian Pastoral Social-Ecological Systems.
2Asian Development Bank & The Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, 2013. Making Grasslands
3United Nations Development Programme. About Mongolia.
4Asian Development Bank & The Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, 2013. Making Grasslands
Sustainable in Mongolia, Adapting to Climate and Environmental Change
5United Nations, Ulaanbaatar, 2010. N Mongolia country team. Mongolia: Dzud appeal.
6Maiyet Cashmere. Fair: Maiyet Fair Trade Wholesale Cashmere-Yarn Process, Mongolia.
7Mercy Corps, 2016. Dzud Lessons Book 2nd Edition.
8International Federation of Red Cross, 2017. Red Cross respond as Mongolian herders struggle to survive winter Dzud amidst rising livestock deaths.
9Mercy Corps, 2017. In Mongolia, Winter Looms on the Edge of the Earth.
On The Web:
1http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/11/06/lessons-from-dzud
2https://www.adb.org/publications/making-grasslands-sustainable-mongolia-adapting-climate-and-environmental-change
3http://www.mn.undp.org/content/mongolia/en/home/countryinfo.html
4https://www.adb.org/publications/making-grasslands-sustainable-mongolia-adapting-climate-and-environmental-change
5https://www.unicef.org/mongolia/2145_13899.html
6https://fair-maiyet.squarespace.com/our-story/maiyet-fair-trade-wholesale-cashmere-yarn-process-mongolia-13
7http://mercycorps.org.mn/beta/index.php/en/news-mcm/635-dzud-lessons-book-2nd-edition
8http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/asia-pacific/mongolia/red-cross-respond-as-mongolian-herders-struggle-to-survive-winter-dzud-amidst-rising-livestock-deaths-73857/
9https://reliefweb.int/report/mongolia/mongolia-winter-looms-edge-earth
the ineffective altruist 