Pastoralists-driven Data Management System 2018-2019 [Mongolia]

 This is part of a global project on Pastoralist-driven Data Management Systems. Similar studies were also conducted in Argentina and Chad.

Basic information is lacking about many pastoralist areas in the world. As a result, many services, programmes and policies do not effectively address the needs of pastoralist communities. The Government Cooperative Programme (GCP) project GCP/GLO/779/IF “Pastoralists-driven Data Management System”, was based on the idea that pastoralist associations could themselves collect, manage and share data from among their communities. This information could then be used to advocate for better targeted and pastoralist-friendly policies at local, national and international level. The project aimed at strengthening the capacities of pastoral organizations in data collection, analysis and information management, in order to facilitate evidence-based policy decision-making. It was implemented in Argentina, Chad and Mongolia, managed by the Pastoralist Knowledge Hub (PKH), and supported by the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (Agricultural Research Centre for International Development [CIRAD]).

In Mongolia, the project was implemented by the National Federation of Pastoralist User Groups. An innovative approach for collecting data was developed through close partnership among the stakeholders involved, and was adopted during two successive surveys. The two questionnaires for collecting data on pastoralism were discussed and adapted to the national context, through the contribution of the participants and their deep knowledge of the field. This was one of the most innovative and successful aspects of the project, i.e. the pertinence of the method, as a result of the proactive involvement of the beneficiaries. The first survey, which aimed to identify and describe the pastoralist population, gathered information on 112,957 households. The second survey, which was more in-depth and aimed to assess the pastoralist economy and its contribution to the national economies, was conducted on a sample (based on the results of the first survey) of 1,938 households. As well as demonstrating that pastoralist organizations had the potential to successfully manage data, the surveys revealed the actual contribution of pastoralism to the economy of the country. In particular, they showed that pastoralism contributed to the national economy more than studies usually indicated, as, owing to specific characteristics, such as high levels of self-consumption, pastoralists' contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was often underestimated . During the project, it emerged that pastoralism could contribute up to 12 percent to the GDP of Mongolia.

The survey was conducted in 2 rounds. For the first round, a short questionnaire was submitted to a representative of each household, addressing the following topics:
i) households' socio-demographic characteristics;
ii) livestock numbers and ownership;
iii) land tenure and access; and
iv) water access and use.

For the second round, the questionnaire focussed on the economic activity of pastoralists and their contribution to the national GDP. It covers the following topics:
i) household identification
ii) socio-demographic characteristics
iii) livestock herd composition
iv) products and final destination
v) agricultural production, fishing and hunting activity
vi) income and sales
vii) household expenses
viii) shock and adaptation strategies.