MONGOLIA

“The Land of Opportunities”

 Caritas_Mongolia_Visit_Report_2

It was a good opportunity to visit Mongolia to share our simple knowledge of the promotion of water management and organic farming in Mongolia. The steep slopping linear hills followed by undulating gentle slopping topography and vast stretches of plain land makes the shape of Mongolia. The fertile and cultivable area is an opportunity for good agricultural practices. Since most of the lands are virgin land where chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not yet used is another opportunity as far as organic farming is concerned. The population of livestock in terms of making organic manure is yet another opportunity for organic farming. The undulating hills which are having long stream allowing the runoff of rainwater is an opportunity for conserving water on the drainage lines. The land leveling for better conservation of soil and water is an opportunity for farming. The utilization of sun light in terms of solar energy is an opportunity for energy conservation and the utilization of wind energy in yet another opportunity for the same. Caritas Mongolia having good relationship with the local government is an opportunity for better collaboration. Planting of multi species of trees in the open areas and road side will be the opportunity for reduction in emission of Carbon Dioxide and supply Oxygen for the life. Developing the available springs in the hills will be an opportunity to solve the water problems in some areas.

Mongolia has got vast stretches of land filled with shrubs, grasses… While considering the availability of vast stretches of land it is also the climate which is not favouring the utilization of the good land. It is hardly three months it allows cultivation and agriculture practice is not common. Some are taking effort in precision farming which is not cost effective. It is realized that while deciding programme for Mongolia the systematic and careful designing is required. It is after all the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) to be clearly defined and plan the activities accordingly.

Training to the Staff of Mongolia: The staff of Caritas Mongolia was trained on the systems and structures of Caritas Organisation, the concept of developmental projects, Anti Human Trafficking programme of the Caritas Asia, details of climate change and its effect and mitigation measures, concept of organic farming and the sharing of the method of preparation of growth promoters and pest repellents followed by the demonstration of the methods in the field.

Visit to Gobi Desert of Mongolia: The travel from Ulanbataar to Gobi Desert reminds me of the movie “Journey to the end of Paradice”. The 1050 kms of travel by car took around 16 hours through the good and bad roads. I have seen the meandering of rivers and it was the first time seeing the meandering of roads. The driving long distance of the criss cross of un-metalled road was really a challenge to the drivers and they deserve special appreciation for making the travel possible on the difficult road.  Less rain, sandy soil and extreme climatic condition makes the life of the people more difficult in Gobi. Every drop of rainwater is important in Gobi desert and rainwater harvesting and recharging to be promoted to solve the water problem to some extent. Trail plots of green house of various crops, processing the food crops for value addition, setting up a seed bank and nursery of plants, planting trees of various species could be tried in this area. It is also important to find out the confined aquifer through geophysical survey for solving the water problem in the desert.

Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture in Mongolia

While thinking of the agriculture in Mongolia it should be done for short duration as the climatic condition allows the cropping in maximum 3 months in the normal case. But  green house farming can be tried in any season provided the heating system is being given. The seasonal crops grown includes potato, carrot, Beat root, Tomato, cucumber, Mustard, cabbage and quail flower. Since the season is too short, it is important to make sure that the soil is made fertile for the proper growth of plants and sowing planting of should be done at the earliest opportunity. 

How to make the soil Fertile?:  The soil should have to support the growth of plants. If the soil is fertile it can supply food to the plants. Hence organic manure to be supplied to the soil.  Organic manure system has got a great contribution to the sustainable agriculture, as it establishes an honorable relationship with nature. In order to improve the organic matter in the soil, following methods to be followed:

1. Since Mongolia has got the strength of having plenty of livestock, the dung to be used for improving the fertility of the soil. Channels to be made with 2 feet width, 1 feet depth and 20 feet length. These trenches to be filled with organic waste/dry or fresh leaves and   dried dung and soil. Layers of dried dung + organic waste + soil to be made. Cow dung growth promoters have to be regularly applies on this for easy decomposition.
2. Cow dung growth promoters: Ingredients needed for making this manure are cow dung (1 Kiligram), cow urine (1 litre), Jaggery/molasses (100 gram), horse gram/green gram powder (100 gram) and water (10 litres). Mix all these well and keep it in a mud pot for 7 days.  Before using it in the fields, 10 times more water has to be added.  It contains many microbes. So depending on the fertility of the soil this manure has to be applied to the field.
3. Cow Horn Manure: To prepare this, take the horn of a cow (while inserting a stick if it goes directly inside the horn then it is held to be a cow’s horn).  Cow’s horn is said to have the capacity to attract cosmic energy. Fill it with cow dung (better if it is dung of a milking cow) tightly. Burry the horn fully inside the ground, by keeping its dung covered open end on the ground. It should not be buried near any tree or where there is moisture. After three months when we unearth it we can find the horn filled with black powder, which gives a pleasant smell. While using it for fields or plants, add 100 gram of this powder to a 20 litres of water. This helps in the speedy growth of plants.
4. Pest repellents: Pest repellents to be made with different types of leaves which are not consumed by Goat/Sheap – leaves that produce milky juice when they are cut or that have bitter taste and bad smell.    One Kg of each type of leaves should be smashed properly to make a pulp.  Take a mud or plastic pot put the pulp of plants into it and pour cow urine into the pot till the mixture is covered fully.   Keep the mixture for 10 days.  Spray the solution by mixing 1 liter with 10 liters of water.  The smell misleads the mother insect and it moves away from the plants.  A fist full of ginger, garlic, chilies could be added to every liter of the same solution and sprayed over the plants to give more powerful results.

 Water Drops counts in Mongolia

Conserving the Liquid Gold

Water problem is one of the issues being raised by many during the visit. The problem in some places is not due to very less rainfall, but due to the absence of soil and water conservation measures. It does not matter how much water an area receives, but how much water conserves matters. The undulating hills and plain let the rain water flow from one pointy to the other. Gully erosions are seen in some places and the water flow through the stream caused problem to the land.  By managing water flow it is possible to slow the rate at which top soil moves out of the catchment and thus the most fertile part of the soil can be retained. Hence let the water walk instead of allowing it to run. Some insights on how to conserve soil and water are as follows:

Contour trenching: Contour trenching is the excavation of trenches (pits) along a uniform level across the slope of the land in upper reaches of the watershed (catchment area).  Bunds may be formed in the transition and lower reaches from the soil excavated from them. Contour trenches decrease the length of slope into smaller sections which retard the rate of runoff and soil erosion.  Water collected in these trenches increase the moisture content and support the growth of vegetation. Contour trenches break the velocity of runoff and the water percolates through the soil slowly and travels down. They also protect the contour or boundary bunds in agricultural land from the runoff from the upper portion of the catchments.  Contour trenches are used both on hill slopes as well as on degraded and barren waste lands for soil and moisture conservation and afforestation purposes. It can be used in all slopes irrespective of rainfall conditions, varying soil types and depths.

Gully plugs:  The long streams originating and flowing through steep sloping grounds erode the soil and create gullies. The runoff water flowing through these gullies carry along with them the soil   which are deposited in the downstream. This erosion can be arrested and controlled through the construction of gully plugs.  This measure also will reduce the velocity of running water which in turn helps to reduce soil erosion. The construction of many gully plugs along the upstream side of the catchments area will tremendously reduce the soil erosion 

Construction of ponds:   There is scope for the construction of many ponds in Mongolia in the plain land. Ponds play a major role in the storages of water as well as recharging of groundwater. During rainy season, water collects in these ponds, a portion of which will be recharged and the remaining will be stored for irrigation and drinking purpose. Most of these ponds are now being occupied / encroached for cropping and settlements. To store more water and to avoid floods we need to make more ponds of different sizes or the encroached ones should be reclaimed.

Field bund: This is applicable in plain areas where the soil is strong. Since the plain cultivable lands are very vast, there is no proper utilization of the rain water falling on it (people prefer crop cultivation in vast lands as the tractor ploughing is easy in vast areas). By dividing the vast land into several parts, the rainwater falls and stays in the small piece of land.  This maintains the soil moisture and conserves water in the farming land. Trenches can be made on all the sides so that the excavated soil can be used for soil bunds in four sides. 

Water Diversions: Many situations call for diverting water away from a particular area. The water flowing in the stream or channels can be diverted to the small ponds for water storage and recharging.  This is for the proper utilization of the water which is any way flowing somewhere. While making the pond, there should be sufficient water storing in at least 10 feet. The dimension of the pond can be decided based on the flow of the water in the channel and the availability of the water flowing.

Roof water harvesting for drinking purpose/ Recharging of groundwater: Rainwater harvesting has been a traditional practice in some cultures for centuries and as such many technologies are the result of a long evolutionary process. Various methods have been practiced traditionally for rain water harvesting. Rainwater was collected in large earthen pitchers or vessels for domestic uses. Since there is water shortage in Mongolia, it would be very good if all the housed (tiled and terraced) having the provision of collecting water from the roof and storing it in the tank. Rainwater falling on the roofs can be collected by approximately fixing and arranging channels and pipes to take the water from the roof to storage tanks or containers. If the water is to be used for drinking, some suitable filtering system has also to be built into the system. Suitable sized storage tanks can retain and provide sufficient water for a reasonably long duration till the next rainfall and can therefore, provide considerable relief to villagers.The excess water should be diverted to the pit of 1.5 meter length, 1.5 meter width and 1 meter depth which should be filled with gravels and sand for easy percolation.

Oxygen Belt: The need of the hour for Mongolia

 A tree in its life span absorbs 800 Kilogram of Carbon and we need oxygen for our survival. It is estimated that 1 person needs the oxygen produced by 16 plants, but in Mongolia trees are hardly seen. Special effort to be made in planting trees in appropriate places like the road sides, open places and boundaries of the ponds streams etc.. While planting trees species diversity is important.  There should be at least 10 species in the same places. The best protection against wind erosion is a permanent vegetative cover on all land. Trees are helpful in reducing soil erosion, increasing soil organic matter, improving soil structure; and assisting in nutrient cycling.  The purpose of using trees for soil conservation is to assist in retaining fertile soil on the farm where we need it most by regulating flows of wind and water.  Trees can help reduce erosion by slowing wind and water flows, providing protection from wind and water, holding soil together, and increasing infiltration.

For more information, please contact:

To Caritas Mongolia: Fr. Pierrot Kasemuana, CICM, Executive Director, Caritas Mongolia Email: caritasmongolia@yahoo.com and Ms. Nasanjargal Jamaa, Finance Officer, Caritas Mongolia. Email: cmfinance9@gmail.com

To Caritas India: Dr. Haridas V. Raman, Manager of NRM and Regional Coordinator for SAFaR Program. Email: haridas@caritasindia.net

To Caritas Asia: Gabriel Baroi, Program Officer, Caritas Asia. Email: sgbaroi@gmail.com

Creation of a just, equitable and humane society through a process of globalisation and civilization of love and peace in the Asian Region.

• To organise effective services in each country to intervene in national and human made disasters of conflict situation and crisis through a global solidarity of finance and personnel from all countries in the Caritas Confederation;
• To organise special teams to deal with conflict crisis situations towards conflict resolution and establishment of peace and harmony;
• To take up the cause of sustainable agriculture, environmental protection and anti-trafficking of women and children through its programmes;
• To organise effective awareness building programmes and motivation for action by creating several categories of the marginalized and oppressed sections through the creation of grassroots groups and people’s organisation. Through Capacity building programmes it develops knowledge and skills among the members for all activities to fulfil  the mission of Caritas Asia;
• To build up the institutional and organisational aspect of every Caritas in Asia through capacity building programmes;
• To organise relief and rehabilitation but acts in a proactive way by undertaking community based disaster preparedness to deal with natural and human made disasters; and
• To take up wherever is needed for the advocacy and lobbying for the causes of the marginalized and oppressed groups by networking with all Caritas Organisations in Europe and elsewhere to strengthen the voice of the poor, marginalized and oppressed and to ensure that their voice is  heard well in the corridors of power.

Identify is linked with several factors of an organization that result from the past and translates itself into action through an image projected outside.  Ideological factors play a key role in setting up an identity.  There may be also several other factors constraining the appropriate expression of identity.  While reflecting on the identity of Caritas Asia, we need to focus on the above factors and see the interplay of forces that shape the present.

1.  History of Caritas Asia

There is a saying:  “How can we know someone if we do not know the history of that person.”  Hence knowing the history of Caritas Asia is an important factor to understand its identity.  Caritas Asia cannot articulate its identity without having recourse to the identity and history of Caritas Internationalis, of which it is an integral and constitutive part. (The matter on history is taken from the publication of Caritas Internationalis The History of Caritas Internationalis, by Matthias Schmidhalter, Tipolitografia Istituto Salesiano Pio XI, Roma, May 2007).

The birth of the first international Caritas organization can be said to have taken place on 21^st and 22^nd July 1924 (p.19).  After an initial enthusiasm followed by a historical period beset by the First and Second World Wars, a dire need was articulated by several members to build a coordinated Caritas Internationalis.  It was officially given a mandate by the Secretary of the Vatican State on 15^th March 1949 (p.25) and its statutes were approved by Pius XII in September 1950 (p.29).

At the Second General Assembly in 1952, among several countries that participated, Japan and India were welcomed as new members from Asia (p.33).  Caritas was started in Hong Kong and the Philippines in 1953, in South Korea in 1954, in South Vietnam in 1957, in Malaysia in 1961, and in Singapore, Sri Lanka and Laos in 1962 (p.49). The absence of other Caritas organizations in other Asian countries triggered the Caritas seminar in Asia from Nov. 3-9, 1968 in Hong Kong, inviting delegates from all Asian countries.  This served as a major force to start Caritas organizations in other Asian countries.

Another significant factor is the sincere efforts and appeals made from March 1973 to organize (p.50) a regionalization of Caritas structures in Asia.  In other words the desire of starting Caritas Asia as a regional organization coordinating all Caritas organizations in Asia began in 1973.

There was another parallel force that developed in the Asian region, namely the Office of Human Development (OHD) started by the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences) in 1970, to take care of socio-economic development work in Asia.  The FABC delegated to this body the task of coordinating the work of different Caritas organizations in Asia.  In 1973, the Asia Partnership for Human Development (APHD) was established, which integrated into it the representation of OHD. APHD consisted of Asian Caritas members and some CIDSE [French acronym for International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity, an alliance of 15 Catholic development organizations from Europe and North America] members coming together every year to discuss development projects and issues as well as funding them.

APHD concentrated only on development concerns since the CIDSE members were financing the projects.  But Asia was one of the regions devastated very much by natural and human made disasters, and APHD was not addressing them squarely.

At the same time regionalization was pursued more rigorously after 1973 by Caritas Internationalis.  This included among other things, the creation of permanent Caritas secretariats in the regions and regular regional conferences.  In Asia, because of the presence of OHD, there was no separate secretariat until 1999.  The following factors could have pushed Caritas Asia region to evolve in this direction.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Caritas Internationalis increasingly acted as a champion of the socially excluded and committed itself more strongly to the promotion of Justice and Peace.  This trend was reflected in the themes of its General Assemblies, the agendas of various Working Groups and in CI seminars devoted to refugees, migrants and displaced persons, AIDS, the global economy, ecology and protection of the environment, and family issues.

Furthermore, a process of Strategic Planning was initiated from 1986 onwards, and it kept developing its clarity and functioning in all regions of Caritas Internationalis. This Strategic Planning incorporated both the development process and emergency operations.  This was the long dream of all Caritas members and the felt need of the present context of Asian society.

In the context of all these forces operating among Asian members, they decided in a definite manner that it is not enough for OHD to coordinate their efforts.  They should themselves start a Regional Secretariat to enable each Caritas member to plan and execute its Strategic Planning.  Thus in the Caritas Asia Regional Conference during the General Assembly of CI in 1999 in Rome, they decided to start Caritas Asia Regional Secretariat. The CI General Assembly endorsed it.

The start of the Regional Secretariat added a positive note to the identity of Caritas Asia.  Each member decided to contribute a regional structure fee to support the Regional Secretariat.

2.  Internal constraints among Caritas Asia members

There are 32 countries in Asia.  They are grouped under 4 categories:  South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and Central Asia.

South Asia:  Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

South East Asia:  Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

East Asia:  China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan

Central Asia:  Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Out of these 32 countries 19 have full-fledged membership within the Caritas Internationalis Confederation.  There are 5 in South Asia:  Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; 8 in South East Asia: Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand; 5 in East Asia: Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan and 1 in Central Asia: Kazakhstan.  We have 3 associate members in Central Asia:  Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. All these make a total of 22 countries in which Caritas structures exist.

Each Caritas in its own country was shaped by its geo-political socio-economic and cultural conditions as well as its respective Bishops’ Conference that mandated it. Reviewing these factors we happen to have 3 specific conditions.

The South and South East Asian countries have been by and large characterized by natural and human-made disasters and accompanying wide-spread poverty.  Hence they are busy organizing the poor towards self-reliance and implementing programmes towards that end.  They are major recipients of funds from outside.  Singapore alone could be an exception as it has a very small geographical surface and the population is able to made ends meet easily.  But all these countries have as a whole well-developed Caritas organizations.

As regards Central Asia, after their liberation from the Soviet Union in the 1990s, they are finding their way to establish themselves as nations.  None of them can be said to be a rich nation.  Some of them are also just starting Caritas organizations in against several odds.  The main problem is the lack of financial and human resources.

As regards East Asia they have at present a strong economic base.  They have a tradition of having built their Caritas structures toward more fund-raising to help other countries and provide service to their own countrymen.  When natural calamities strike, their respective governments take full responsibilities for relief and rehabilitation works, thereby relieving local Caritas organizations of this great burden.

These differences built in the course of time some constraints within Caritas Asia.  When we started our own Regional Secretariat, several capacity building programmes, mostly on disaster preparedness and institutional building, were conducted.  They were not very relevant for East Asian countries but most needed in other parts. Consequently there was no necessity for East Asia to participate in them. What we need to do now is to sit together in such occasions as General Assembly and share frankly our realities and plan our activities accordingly.

Such a frank discussion with a proper Christian spirit and that of Caritas will make each Caritas mutually build each other up together as a part of the Confederation and as instruments to build the Kingdom of God.

3.  Link with CI

Caritas Asia should remind itself that it is a part of an International Confederation of 162 countries.  It cannot develop itself both in its structures and activities in its own way irrespective of CI structures, plans and activities.  It is obvious that CI plans are designed from a bottom up approach of each region helping CI to define the contours of action.  The principle of subsidiarity, the principle of cooperation and the principle of solidarity must always be kept in mind while defining the identity mutually.  As there are organizational and structural changes taking place at CI level, Caritas Asia must learn to place itself in that process.  Changes are not easy in an organization that has decades of experience but if they do not take place we get fossilized and gradually become irrelevant in responding to the present challenges society poses.

4.  Paradigm shifts

Practices keep changing as per new circumstances and perceived principles.  In the Asian scenario one of the main involvements and problems of natural and human made disasters have been dealt with as disasters.  Development was considered outside the scope and involvement in disasters. This net distinction is getting bridged by a paradigm shift of disaster preparedness with the help of community involvement so that in every disaster, a development process starts after the relief phase through its rehabilitation efforts.  This is a learning process that is always difficult for those accustomed to one line of action.  Unless collective efforts are undertaken by the members to internalize and operationalize the paradigm shifts in ideologies and practices, we cannot forge a common identity as a group.

Another area of urgency that needs to be understood by the members is the importance we attach to the actions of advocacy and lobbying.  Social transformation in favour of the poor can come about only by such collective pressure tactics used in the corridors of power on issues directly affecting the poor.  Once again it means learning new processes and taking the pains to implement them in our concrete actions.

5.  Areas of change needed

• The way we understand our differences as one not distancing ourselves but bringing together and lending voluntarily our helping hand.  This can be concretely shown in the area of structural fees for Caritas Asia.
• The way we would look at disasters as a way of building our people and their resources.
• The way we would give importance to advocacy and lobbying so that we can go for more pan-Asian programmes.
• The way we bring about structural changes within our own organizations and promote appropriate human resources in line with CI General Plan.

6.  Theological orientation

The theological orientation is what gives the ideological perspective to an organization. Fr. Erny Guillein has agreed to give us that orientation.  We should seriously look into it to see how it touches our identity.  Added to the theological dimension is also a spirituality for Caritas organizations.  We work not only with secular ideas but also with a spiritual energy based on our faith and relation to Christ.  For non-Christians it will be the spirituality of their own faith basis that will add an element of spiritual energy for them.

7.  Identity, a task to be achieved

The identity of an organization should be collectively built by its members. There are several factors that go together to formulate it.  The identity has to be built so that people within are proud about their identity, so that each one commits and dedicates oneself to the cause of the organization.  Acceptance and being proud about the identity is what makes the members transcend the difficulties and problems, and pool their energies and cooperative efforts towards the mission of the organization.

Concluding words

Our reflection of our common identity is a prelude to efforts to transform ourselves in the right direction.  The future, which we can be proud of, lies in this direction.

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A few questions to reflect on

1.  What is the identity we must project to show our true nature and work?

2.  What are the problems we face due to Rome’s understating of the identity of Caritas Asia?:

• In the functioning of the Confederation among members in Asia
• In the question of solidarity among members
• In the day-to-day functioning of our Regional office and Regional Coordinator
• In building up the spirit of mutual help towards other Caritas members, particularly the weaker ones
• In building up Caritas Asia as a good regional Caritas working in close collaboration with CI