There is a shortage of pasture specialists in soums

As part of the “Aimag and Soum Regional Green Development Investment Program” implemented in Uvs, Khovd, and Bayan-Olgii aimags, rangeland specialist officer P. Naranbaatar worked in the local area and inspected the actual conditions in 16 soums on the ground.

During the assignment, meetings and training were organized with stakeholders on land management policy planning, pasture management plans, human resource adequacy, expert capacity, and equipment provision at the provincial and soum level.

Key issues:

• There is a lack of specialists in land management, pastures, and agriculture in the soums.
• Poor working conditions and poor stability of specialists.
• Lack of photomonitoring and research equipment, which need to be upgraded.
• Rangeland use and protection are inadequately incorporated into soum-level land management plans, and data and reporting on these matters remain insufficient.

As part of the project, action areas for collaboration were identified and carried out in partnership with provincial Land Administration, Construction and Urban Development Departments, Food and Agriculture Departments, Rangeland User Associations, and soum-level land officers and specialists in charge of rangeland and crop production.

As part of the project, action areas for collaboration were identified and carried out in partnership with provincial Land Administration, Construction and Urban Development Departments, Food and Agriculture Departments, Rangeland User Associations, and soum-level land officers and specialists in charge of rangeland and crop production.

The stakeholders proposed the following recommendations:

• Establish a system for developing, approving, and enforcing rangeland use and protection regulations at the soum level.
• Create favorable conditions for specialists to reside in local areas and involve them in capacity-building trainings.
• Carry out rangeland assessment, planning, and reporting activities through collaborative organization and implementation.

The stakeholders emphasized that addressing these issues requires strong collaboration between the project, local governments, and professional organizations, as well as a stable and consistent human resource policy.

The following activities will be implemented in the field of rangeland management going forward:

• Reduce rangeland degradation and promote economic utilization by adjusting livestock numbers and herd composition to match rangeland carrying capacity and by ensuring scheduled use based on rangeland management plans.
• Improve herder livelihoods by reducing rangeland overgrazing and increasing productivity from core (main) livestock through enhancing their resilience to natural risks.
• Strengthen the capacity of local human resources responsible for rangeland management.
• Support the development and implementation of policy documents related to rangeland management at the aimag and soum levels.