Characteristics and Transformation of the Pastoral System in Mongolia

Abstract

Mongolian pastoralism is characterized by its high mobility, as is reflected in its two most distinctive features as a husbandry system: one is the high ratio of castrated males in herds, and the other is the multiple uses of diverse livestock species. It has functioned as more than a subsistence economy, having lent economic support to the state’s military. These characteristics have arisen because of adaptations to both natural and social environments. This pastoral system has been transformed into a rather pure form of animal husbandry as a result of the demilitarization of the state and the program of modernization introduced by the socialist regime in the twentieth century. Furthermore, as Mongolia underwent its transition into a market economy in the 1990s, the economic disparities among regions and households consequently expanded. In response to this novel situation, herders became highly mobile, which gave them more profitable access to both natural and social resources.