FINAL REPORT

Constraints and Conflicts
Concerning water availability, the following constraints are common among surveyed
farmers:
• water reaches the fields very late in spring
• the fields are located downstream of Buyant and Khovd sums’ farmland, therefore
there is a lack of irrigation water 25
The households responded that Buyant River has its highest level in July and the lowest level
in April and May. In spring, irrigation water reaches their farmland with delay because their
fields are located at the end of the Buyant River Delta and the crop farmers located further
south use water intensively for irrigation.
Most of the surveyed households had no ideas on how to improve efficient use of water.
However, they expressed their desire for scientific research to find applicable solutions and if
those were developed they expressed their readiness for support.
The survey involved farmers mentioned the following additional constraints to crop farming:
• financial issues
• increase of pests
• lack of agricultural machineries and technology; high input expenditures for farming
activities where machineries are used
Rehabilitation of JanjinBoolt Headwork
Households
5
4
3
2
1
0
Yes
No
Do you support the reconstruction of
Janjin Boolt headwork?
Households
5
4
3
2
1
0
Yes
No
Would you agree to pay a water fee?
Source: Survey results, June 2006
Figure 67: Support for Reconstruction of Janjin
Boolt Headwork
Source: Survey results, June 2006
Figure 68: Support for Introduction of a Water
Fee
25 But the farmers had built their own irrigation channels using water from a stream at Buyant sum. Thus,
compared with other farmers in Khovd sum, the water availability, even if not sufficient, seemed to be better.
This would explain the comparable large size of fields and good harvest results.
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