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Historical matrices: a method for monitoring changes in seasonal consumption patterns in Mongolia

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Authors: 
Cooper, L.
Gelezhamtsin, N.
1994

Abstract

Wide-ranging agrarian reforms in Mongolia have led to a change in patterns of consumption. Most important of these reforms has been the dismantling of the collectivised state which formerly organised livestock and livestock product marketing, as well as the supply of flour and other food items and consumer goods. This note reports on the use of matrices as a tool for evaluating the impact of economic liberalisation on consumption patterns among Mongolian pastoral communities. The consumption matrices of a rich household and a poor household indicate that consumption patterns have changed significantly during the five years since privatisation and decollectivisation.

Pastoral production in Mongolia from a gender perspective

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Authors: 
Cooper, L.
Gelezhamtsin, N.
1994

Abstract

The Policy Alternatives for Livestock Development (PALD) project was established to research and make policy recommendations on the liberalisation of the Mongolian pastoral economy and its impact within the household. The paper discusses the organisation of pastoral production at the household level from a gender perspective. The paper describes and explains the use of matrices and mobility mapping as participatory methods for gathering information on seasonal labour allocation, time use and mobility. It was found that a clear division of labour exists within the household, based on gender and age. Women are significantly involved in livestock care, but socially constructed ideas about men and women means that men are associated with overall reproduction of the herd and women with the production of goods.

Ranking with Shagaa in Mongolia

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Authors: 
Cullis, A.
1994

Abstract

'Shagaa' (a bag of sheep and goats' knucklebones) can be found in most Mongolian households. They are used like dice or counters, each facet of the bone representing a different livestock type, in about twenty different games. In this exercise herders used the shagaa bones to rank winter livestock losses over the last ten years. The technique proved useful for illustrating the trends in livestock losses over the years, and providing a basis for discussion. The exercise was enhanced by the use of the bones, which to the herders already represented animals. The paper concludes that there is great potential for much wider use of shagaa in ranking and other participatory techniques with Mongolian herders.

Direct and indirect uses of wealth ranking in Mongolia

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Authors: 
Mearns, R.
Shombodon, D.
et al
1992

Abstract

Wealth ranking was one of the methods used in the early stages of a collaborative research and training project in Mongolia. It served two main purposes, direct and indirect. The direct purpose was to identify locally important criteria for distinguishing households according to wealth, status and power. It was also used to stratify the populations of the sample production brigades, as a first step towards understanding differences in the ways richer and poorer herding households managed their herds, gained access to key natural resources, and responded to risk. Indirectly, wealth ranking did more than other PRA methods used to 'win over' an initially sceptical research team to the value of participatory field research, and did much to change the attitudes and behaviour of the research team.

Institution ranking and social mapping in rural Mongolia

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Authors: 
Mearns, R.
Bayartsogt, D.
1994

Abstract

Following the dismantling of the pastoral collectives in Mongolia, a wide variety of formal as well as informal institutions currently exist. While informal community organisations are the main context in which pastoral livestock production is carried out, the question of which institutions will take over the functions of the former collectives is still open. This paper describes how PRA methods were used to try to understand herders' perceptions of the various institutions they participate in. Social mapping was used to identify the composition of informal neighbourhood communities. Ranking and scoring were used mainly to understand herders' perceptions of the institutions of which they are members.

Natural resource mapping and seasonal variations and stresses in Mongolia

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Authors: 
Mearns, R.
Shombodon, D.
et al
1994

Abstract

The Policy Alternatives for Livestock Development (PALD) project aims to facilitate the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy in the extensive livestock sector which dominates the Mongolian rural economy. This report outlines some of the participatory research methods which were used during the training of the Mongolian research team. The methods described include wealth ranking, participatory mapping, transects, ranking of grazing resources, and seasonal calendars showing production, climatic variations, incidence of disease and labour requirements.

Direct and indirect uses of wealth ranking in Mongolia

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Authors: 
Mearns, R.
et al.
1992

Abstract

This article is based on work done by the Policy Alternatives for Livestock Development project which is facilitating the transfer from a command to a market economy in the extensive rural livestock sector in Mongolia. Wealth ranking was used in the early stages of this project. The paper is interesting as rather than discussing and describing the wealth ranking method. It considers the policy reasons for using this method, the role and value of wealth ranking by card sorting and its position in the research and training process. This gives a clear idea of a research process and how a PRA method might work within the process.

PRA in Central Asia: Coping with Change

Authors: 
INTRAC
1996

Abstract

This film was made alongside a PRA training workshop in Kyrghyzstan, which was attended by NGO workers from other Central Asian countries. It emphasises that behaviour and attitudes are key to PRA (02). Exercises to highlight this include role playing as a dominator and saboteur (03). Visualisation and æhanding over the stickÆ are ways to minimise dominance. Embracing error is another key tenet (06). The bulk of the video shows various methods being used by villagers and being presented back to the training workshop. These include semi-structured interviews (07), mapping (08), transects (10), matrices (11) historical matrices (12), timelines, seasonality charts and daily schedules (14), Venn diagrams (16), pie charts (18), network and flow charts (20), and card-sorting (22). The video ends with workshop participantsÆ reflections on the experience, the potential of PRA in Central Asia (24-30).

What is the Aarhus Convention? Citizen's environmental rights under the Aarhus Convention

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Authors: 
Public Participation Campaign
2000

Abstract

The Aarhus Convention is an agreement which was signed by 35 European and Central Asian countries in June 1998. It relates to the public disclosure of documents relating to environmental matters. The convention guarantees the right to information, the right to participate, and recognises the right to a safe environment. It also guarantees citizens that they will have a way to enforce these rights. This booklet is basically an "every thing you need to know" about the convention. It covers the background and main areas of influence of the convention. It is arranged using short questions and answers to a variety of topics centred on a persons "right to know" and "right to justice". Underlying the concept is the theme of participation and citizenship.

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