FINAL REPORT

households responded that they face no problems with access to water. However
existing irrigation channels and techniques are very insufficient.
6. 83% of the surveyed households support the reconstruction of Janjin Boolt headwork
although they would not profit directly from its reconstruction.
17. Evaluation of Marketing Research in the Project Area and the
Importance of Irrigated Agriculture to Improve Livelihoods and reduce
Poverty (J. Hartwig andA. Ankhtuya)
The field research results demonstrated clearly that cultivation agriculture in Buyant, Khovd,
Myangad and Jargalant sum is increasingly contributing to food and income security of crop
farming households. Besides, it also provides food for non-farming population on local,
regional and partly national level and it contributes to an estimated 9% of the aimag’s GDP
(seeChapter8).
17.1 Organization of Crop Farmers
At present crop farming is carried out mainly by individual households. Statistics show that
within Khovd aimag about 99% of potato, vegetables and melon harvest and 74% of cereal
harvest originates from crop farming carried out by individual households (see Tab. 34).
Total
harvest
(t)
Company/Cooperatives/
Public Organizations
(t)
Individual
households
(t)
Share of individual household’s
harvest from total
(%)
Crops
Vegetables
and Melons 9,407 111 9,296 98.8
Potatoes 7,019 39 6,980 99.5
Cereals 613 157 456 74.3
Source: Statistics provided byaimagadministration
Table 34: Harvest Shares ofCorporate and IndividualCrop Farmers Khovdaimag (2005)
Nevertheless, in recent years more than ten crop farming cooperatives have been established
within the Buyant River Delta in order to reduce transaction costs for cultivation, harvest,
processing or marketing. Most of these cooperatives are made up of relatives. Interviews have
shown that some cooperatives are highly effective and profit from cooperation, specialisation
and distribution of labour and tasks.
150