The Gobi Initiative Phase II Update
Mercy Corps International and PACT

SO1: PRIVATE SECTOR-LED ECONOMIC GROWTH
posted by Skip Waskin on Thursday, September 15, 2005 1:56 AM

Market Events Scheduled. Major market events are taking place in September in all Gobi Initiative (GI) aimags. In an effort to increase both the scale and the popularity of the events, a series of cultural and children's activities have been added. As a result, these market events have evolved into "county fairs", similar to those that are still prevalent in rural America. In early August, each Member of Parliament from the respective aimags was invited to attend their respective fair and GI received confirmation that each event will have at least one MP in attendance.

Cooperation with Ivanhoe Mines. GI-supported cooperatives in Dundgovi and Umnugovi aimags have completed the second delivery of vegetables to Ivanhoe Mines, bringing the total delivered so far this season to seven tons. The evolving business relationship between the Gobi vegetable producers and Ivanhoe Mines was highlighted recently in a "UB Post" article. GI and Ivanhoe have also begun the process of establishing an independent commercial bus service to transport Ivanhoe employees between Dalanzadgad and the Oyu Tolgoi mine site. It is expected that this service will be owned and operated by an Umnugovi resident. GI will provide business planning support, any required training/technical assistance, and a guarantee against a commercial loan for the purchase of a bus and for some working capital. A second route is also being planned for Ulaanbaatar-Oyu Tolgoi. This is the first of several services that Ivanhoe is seeking from local area residents.

Gobi Forage Team Visits. A team of three scientists from Texas A&M University joined the Gobi Forage team for three weeks to conduct further field work to verify the forage forecasting model, and to continue development of the website that will be used to disseminate the forage forecasting information. The team also made presentations on the current status of the forage forecasting work, and the science behind the project, to USAID, the Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, and the Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Arid Lands Consultant Reviews Gobi Farming Work. Gary Hickman, an international arid-lands agricultural expert, completed a six-week consultancy in August. Mr. Hickman worked with staff to validate the project's agricultural strategy and developed a policy and set of parameters/standards covering vegetable and fodder crop production in the Gobi and Hangai regions in which the project works. He also facilitated two training workshops for GI staff and consultants on topics such as soil fertility, irrigation systems, pest control methods, and planting/cultivation systems for arid regions.

Gobi Communications. The "Endless Labyrinth", a 26-part business educational soap opera produced by PACT with GI funding, is due to debut on Mongol TV on September 3rd. The program has been heavily promoted in local newspapers and through banners and posters. The scripting of episodes 100-126 of the "Herder from the Future" radio drama was also completed in August, with production due to begin in late September. Pact/RBN staff were also working on two instructional videos on business planning and vegetable production.

The Gobi Initiative Phase II Update
Mercy Corps International and PACT

SO1: PRIVATE SECTOR-LED ECONOMIC GROWTH
posted by Skip Waskin on Thursday, August 11, 2005 9:18 PM

US Ambassador Slutz Visits Gobi. US Ambassador Pamela Slutz visited the Gobi project office in Gobi-Sumber in July, and met with both herder and non-herder clients. The Ambassador also met with the aimag Governor and several of the aimag-based consultants.

Gobi II Highlighted by ILO. The Gobi Initiative will appear in the International Labor Organization’s (ILO's) "BDS Reader", highlighting innovative business development services (BDS) programs around the world. The brief one-page summary, entitled "Enabling Remote Rural Herders to Diversify their Business Activities", provides statistics about the project and details concerning the current BDS structure of the project and post-project sustainability plans. Business information dissemination methods, including "Market Watch" are also mentioned.

Cooperative Leadership. The process of assessing the organizational development and future leadership needs of herder cooperatives has begun, with a three-day workshop held in early July for all aimag-based Gobi program officers. The workshop also provided an opportunity for project staff to share and discuss problems that they regularly encounter while working with the cooperatives.

Arid Lands Consultancy. Gary Hickman, an international "arid-lands" agricultural expert, arrived in July for a six-week project consultancy. Mr. Hickman will work with staff to validate the project's agricultural strategy and to develop a policy and set of parameters/standards covering vegetable and fodder crop production in the Gobi and Hangai regions. Mr. Hickman will also provide "one-on-one" technical assistance to herder clients and training to aimag-based training and technical assistance providers on topics such as soil fertility, irrigation systems, pest control methods, and planting/cultivation systems for arid regions.

New TV Drama Production. PACT completed production of the first four episodes of the new 26-part educational TV drama "Endless Labyrinth". The series tracks the efforts of a rural family to develop and operate a small rural business, and the challenges they face in researching the local market, securing financing, producing a quality product, managing the business, and dealing with corruption issues. The series will begin appearing in August.

The Gobi Initiative Phase II Update
Mercy Corps International and PACT

SO1: PRIVATE SECTOR-LED ECONOMIC GROWTH
posted by Skip Waskin on Monday, July 18, 2005 8:58 PM

Client Sales. During the first six months of 2005, total sales generated by all GI clients reached about $345,600. A total of 119 program clients have applied for commercial loans totaling about $241,000 to finance their business plans. There are still no delinquencies or defaults, and 51 clients have repaid their loans in full since the start of 2004.

Collaboration with Ivanhoe Mines. Ivanhoe Mines provided sponsorship of about $835 to the Gobi Initiative Office in Umnugovi Aimag to support the annual market trade fair "Gobi Festival". The festival will be held September 2-3. The trade fair will provide GI clients and other businesses throughout the aimag with the opportunity to promote and sell their products. All six GI offices will be organizing trade fairs in September and October when herder clients will have most of their products ready for sale.

New TV Series. Rural Business News (RBN) has commenced production of a new 26-part educational TV series. Called "Endless Labyrinth", the series will increase awareness of business problem-solving and teach methods of operating small businesses in a market economy. The series will also touch on issues such as democracy and governance, and corrupt business activity. The series will begin broadcast in August.