August hay month!
Summer 2023
August hay month! Myrzabeck Huan is haying on last year’s fenced and prepared communal grassland. He is 26 years old and lives with his parents and four sisters between the two nearest villages, near the mountains. His family is selected to farm and harvest the grassland with twenty other families. Myrzabeck is helping his family preserving the traditional shepherd culture and getting a better income so that in the future (the children of) siblings – who do not want to become shepherds – can go to study.
The life of a shepherd is hard and challenging in the extreme Mongolian climate where many animals die every winter from cold and malnutrition. Animals are the main source of income for shepherds and nomads; they provide milk, meat, and their skin is used for (wool and felt) clothing and insulation material. Myrzabeck is hard at work, and the freshly cut grass is transported on camels to his parents’ house. It is going to dry there and will be given to the animals in winter when snow has covered the area and the animals cannot graze. Communal grassland is very important for people ànd animals’ future!
