Countryside Research Trip 2

Hello again folks!

Since I last wrote I have planned and completed my second countryside research trip! woohoo! That's 2 of 3 initial trips completed. My plan is to try out my garden design with herders living in 3 different parts of Mongolia.

My first site, the Northern site, was interesting because it's a lush valley (by Mongolian standards) and the historical center of agriculture in Mongolia. Most of the people I interviewed had moved to this area from the western provinces anytime from last year to 30 years ago so they could take advantage of the good grazing land that wasn't being used for farming. I think it's a fascinating case study of the interaction between farmers and herders and how that might help or hurt my nomadic gardening effort.

The new site I visited is in the countryside around Undurkhaan city, to the east. This time it was just me and Khongor, my translator friend, so we were able to get it all done in 2 days. This is a completely different place both ecologically and culturally. I chose this site because a. it's the true steppe grasslands, a flat expanse of feathery golden grasses populated by ground squirrels and gazelles, and b. there is a paved road all the way to the city. This means it's easy enough to get back and forth between it (feasibility! always important!). In this Eastern site I found a very different picture emerging from the people I talked to. Most people were born and bred in Khentii province (Undurkhaan's province) and had lived there their entire lives. Most families had more livestock than the Northern families but fewer cows, were busier with their herding, and also were much more suspicious of my presence. Generally fewer people were interested in talking to me. Of course there were still some very warm and hospitable families, but it seemed to be the exception rather than the rule. Still, I was able to do 10 interviews and find 9 families willing to test out my garden. So that's really good!

Now, I am beginning to design and construct the gardens. I will let you all know how they're coming along. I'm also planning my 3rd trip to the countryside, out to the west to a town called Arvaikheer. Being on the edge of the Gobi, that will be another different and interesting site!