The Gobi Forage project aims to develop risk management technologies to provide drought and winter disaster early warning to improve rural business in the livestock sector of the Gobi region. Funded from May 2004 – April 2008, this project operates in six aimags – Govi-Altai, Bayanhongor, Uvurhangai, Umnugovi, Dundgovi and Govisumber.

Working with USAID, Global Livestock CRSP, and University of California at Davis, Texas A&M University will develop a forage monitoring system that provides near real-time spatial and temporal assessment of current and forecasted forage conditions for Mongolia livestock producers. They will also develop an information and communication infrastructure and analysis delivery system to provide herders with information on current and forecasted forage conditions that will assist them to make timely and specific management decisions in the Gobi Initiative Project region of Mongolia.

Location

Six Gobi aimags – Govi-Altai, Bayanhongor, Uvurhangai, Umnugovi, Dundgovi and Govisumber

Goal

To develop risk management technologies that provide early warning of drought and winter disasters to herders in the Gobi region

Objectives

• Develop a forage monitoring system that provides near real-time spatial and temporal assessment of current and forecasted forage conditions for Mongolia livestock producers
• Develop an information and communication infrastructure and analysis delivery system to provide herders with information on current and forecasted forage conditions that will assist them to make timely and specific management decisions in the Gobi region of Mongolia

Funding Period

May 2004 – April 2008

Focus

• Providing early warning for below normal forage conditions and catastrophic winter conditions to reduce risk of livestock mortality and maximize the sustainable offtake of rangeland resources
• Improving the quality of livestock products for the livestock market chain
• Helping herders organize themselves to better cope with risk and market access

• The project was negotiated as an integrated research and development project linking the Gobi II Initiative of USAID/Mongolia, Mercy Corps, the Global Livestock CRSP, and Texas A&M University
• A NOAA CMORPH weather data download system has been established to support forage modeling in Mongolia
• There will be over 200 monitoring sites established in Mongolia that will allow near real-time monitoring of developing forage conditions relative to long-term average production provided every 14 days, with 90 day forecasts delivered via Rural Business News, radio and the Internet