FINAL REPORT

Since the mid 1990s, local residents started to plant crops in the Buyant River Delta for
household and market needs. In 2005, 925 households were registered as crop farmers in
Buyant, Khovd, Myangad and Jargalant sum (Statistics provided by sum and aimag
administrations). 15 For these households, cultivation agriculture has become the main source
of subsistence and income, being an essential part of their livelihood strategy. While the
cultivation of cereals and fodder crops did not yet recover, the cultivation of vegetables and
potatoes increased year by year (see Fig. 13).
The land laws which were enacted in 2003 and 2004 were important provisions in order to
guarantee access to farmland and property rights. However access to irrigation water has
become the most critical issue during recent years. Even though the sown area in the Buyant
River Delta still is much less than in the socialist period, water has become scarce and
conflicts related to water distribution are increasing. The main reasons are:
- No more water management: Inefficient channels with much water being lost,
inefficient flooding techniques, no water saving irrigation methods
- Destruction of Janjin Boolt and connected pipelines
- Rising demand for water in the aimag center (Jargalant sum) where population has
increased significantly since 1990 and where at lot of water is vasted through leaking
water pipes
- Decrease of BuyantRiver water run-off (at least in the downstream areas)
- Increasing temperatures and evapotranspiration in the vegetation period leads to
increased need for irrigation
- Extension of cultivation of irrigation intensive vegetables
15 According to statistics provided by the aimag administration, in 2005 in total 1,705 households were registered
in Khovd Aimag as crop farmers. More than half of them cultivated in the Buyant River Delta. Another
important area of irrigation is Bulgan Sum in the south of Khovd Aimag.
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