The Rich Yellow Desert
BY SEAN GRANVILLE-ROSS | April 13, 2006
Mr. Bayambatogs holds up a juicy melon, fruit from an otherwise-forbidding desert. Photo: Mercy Corps Mongolia
In the early 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of its assistance to Mongolia, food was in short supply for most Mongolian families. Meat from a family's own herd of livestock was the main component of the diet, occasionally accompanied by potatoes and, when available, some variety of vegetable.
Although the Mongolian diet is based on meat, vegetables are well-liked - especially those grown locally. As a result of the country's new market economy, the demand for vegetables is on the rise. But customers don't wait just any vegetables: when they shop at the local market in the western province of Gobi Altai, they ask specifically for Sharga County vegetables instead of the more abundant vegetables from China.
Why the change in tastes? Just ask Mr. Bayambatogs.
Bayambatogs has grown vegetables in Sharga County for the last 33 years. The county, located 70 kilometers southwest of the provincial center, Altai City, is a beautiful desert oasis - a welcome oddity in the surrounding stark landscape. This is where Mr. Bayambatogs has maintained his gardens and grown his reputation.
For the better part of three decades, he was employed as a gardener by the local socialist work group, which produced vegetables for the Gobi Altai province. After Mongolia's socialist period ended and Bayambatogs's work group ceased to exist, he realized that the demand for locally grown vegetables was not being met. So, in 1995 he decided to start his own business, Bayan Sharga - which means "The Rich Yellow Desert." Over the last ten years, he and his family have grown potatoes, cabbages, carrots, onions, tomatoes and watermelons on five hectares of land.
After a decade of watching the demand for vegetables steadily increase in Gobi Altai, Bayambatogs decided it was time to modernize and improve the efficiency of his business. He contacted the Gobi Regional Economic Growth Initiative, a herder diversification and business development program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Mercy Corps. The program works throughout the Gobi Region in Southern Mongolia, assisting herders like Bayambatogs to achieve their business goals. The project focuses on developing cooperatives, expanding and diversifying small businesses, and improving the quality and accessibility of local business development and support services.
Since the program began, Mercy Corps has helped to create more than 400 new businesses through the training of more than 3,500 entrepreneurs like Bayambatogs. Nearly 200 herder groups and cooperatives, comprising more than 6,000 members, are active Gobi Initiative business development clients.
In the fall of 2004, Bayambatogs received Mercy Corps assistance in developing a business plan to expand his operation. The business plan contained a summary of the proposed activities, the technical training, equipment and financing needs, the results of market research, and marketing and sales strategies. Bayambatogs applied for small business loan to buy a tractor and was approved based upon his years of experience and well-written business plan.
"We had wanted to purchase a tractor for many years, but it was difficult to receive a loan," he explained. "With Mercy Corps assistance, though, securing a loan became a lot simpler."
So far the tractor has saved countless hours of labor for Bayambatogs and his family. With the extra time, he has been able to plant more vegetables, which has increased his yields and profits. This year, he has planted three hectares of potatoes instead of the usual two hectares.
Mercy Corps has also provided greenhouse construction training to Bayambatogs. Next spring he plans to build a small greenhouse, which will give him a head start on the short growing season. Because of harsh winters in Mongolia, vegetables cannot be planted until the beginning of June and must be ready for harvest by early September.
Given his well-earned success, Bayambatogs will continue his cooperation with Mercy Corps and USAID. He plans to diversify his business by establishing a micro-dairy, which will keep him busy during the winter months when he cannot grow vegetables. He hopes that the next generation will continue the family business.
"If I can create a very successful business, I will be able to convince my oldest daughter, who is studying at the National Agriculture University, to return home and help me manage and continue to improve our business."
That way, a new generation of Mongolian connoisseurs will be able to enjoy Bayambatogs family produce.
Over the last five years, more than 89% of resources allocated directly to programs.