What We Do
Disaster Mitigation
Disasters are no longer regarded only as unfortunate one-time events but often as consequences of deep-rooted and long-term problems that must be addressed strategically.
Key Disaster Management activities include -
Disaster response planning, building community resilience, and working closely with communities in developing and implementing disaster mitigation strategies.
Highlights -
A total yield of 122 tons of vegetables in the harvest in September 2009 across all community based agricultural cooperatives working with the disaster management projects.
Establishment of a cooperative union from three new agricultural cooperatives in Dornogobi aimag, which then went on to establish a joint food processing facility.
The Sustainable Poverty Reduction through Agricultural Development Project, Dornogobi Aimag (SPADE Gobi)
This year the SPADE Gobi project worked with poor families that had been displaced by natural disaster, advancing desert and soil erosion. ADRA provided farming tools, equipment and training that enabled them to engage in vegetable production. Beneficiaries were able to convert 16 hectares of arid land into productive vegetable gardens, including six hectares of sea buckthorn berry bushes to provide future income and to mitigate the advancing desert. The berry bushes likewise served as natural wind breakers that protected the garden. In the autumn of 2009 the total yield was 17 tons of vegetables and 3.6 tons of fruit. With increased vegetation cover within the project areas beneficiaries noticed an increase in biodiversity ranging from birds to various insects. Beneficiaries were trained in organic farming and are praciticing crop rotation, composting, biological pest control and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity. Efficient use of scarce water resources in the Gobi desert has been ensured by the use of drip irrigation systems and solar power to operate pumps on deep wells. With variable and extreme weather conditions in the Gobi, plastic and glass greenhouses were established to provide a controlled environment for food production. Social capital was also built, and a cooperative union was organized as a result of the establishment of three primary cooperatives. A processing facility was established and is being managed by the cooperative union; capitalizing on a steady supply of fresh vegetables from the primary cooperatives and a demand for pickled vegetable products at the soum and aimag levels. This project is in partnership with ADRA Czech Republic and funded by the Czech Republic Development Cooperation.
The Sustainable Poverty Reduction through Agricultural Development Project – Zavkhan Aimag (SPADE Zavkhan)
The SPADE Zavkhan project works with 800 poor herders who had either completely or partly lost their animals due to extreme winter disasters followed by three consecutive years of drought. The project engaged with ten already existing cooperative groups, and participatory approaches were used to identify the needs and priorities of the beneficiaries. Business plans were developed that served as the framework for cooperative action to build their assets. Theoretical and hands-on training in organic farming, composting and water management enabled them to engage in gardening that yielded 101.36 tons of vegetables in 2009. Training in health and nutrition equipped cooperatives with valuable knowledge to increase the health of the beneficiaries. Training was also given on how to pickle vegetables; ensuring a supply of vegetables during winter months. The impact on desertification and soil erosion brought about by over grazing was mitigated by increasing the quality of animals through cross breeding that resulted in 1,078 high breed offspring, which will consequently reduce the number of animals the cooperatives have in their herds. This project is funded through ADRA Germany with financial support provided by the European Union.
Integration of disaster risk reduction into development has been at the heart of the Disaster Management unit intervention strategy. The unit has been mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in its poverty focused development efforts in Dornogobi and Zavkhan aimag, where people’s livelihood has been continually threatened by drought, desertification, soil erosion, sand storms and climate change. ADRA Mongolia’s primary strategy in vulnerability reduction is to increase the capacity of these communities and organizations to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the impact of disasters.
