The students, probably from the third or fourth grade, are lined outside the health center. It was
assumed that they would be subjected to medical examination or immunization. Two women, who appeared to be teachers, were seen moving the students back and forth and organizing them. The noise and hustle and bustle of the children waiting in line breaks the silence of the place, reminding us that life happens here too. There is rarely anything that attracts people’s attention. People who are far from rural life may be curious to see young people riding motorcycles and riding horses staring at them in surprise when they travel somewhere. To someone who is coming to soum for the first time from a busy place, it may seem strange that there are not a lot of people there. However, this wasn’t new to us. There are quite a few soums in Mongolia, that remind silence when schools are closed, trips and outings are active, and families go camping. Khushaat soum of Selenge Province, was just like that.
Selenge Province is the main agricultural region of our country. Khushaat ranks first among soums in the province in terms of yield and production. Governor of soum N.Zakhirakhbaatar says, “Our soum has 24,000 hectares of agricultural land. Currently, 17 enterprises are regularly operating in the field of agriculture. There are two enterprises that produce elite Mongolian potato seeds and supply 21 provinces with seeds. There is also a company that grows special varieties of carrots only to produce “Vitafit Group” products. In the last decade, our soum never ranked below third in the agricultural sector. It provides two to ten percent of the country’s total grains. There are quite a few meritorious awardees born from this industry,” he proudly said. He also said that Selenge is one of the six provinces that do not receive subsidies from the state budget, and the agricultural project plays a significant role in this success. In addition, he mentioned that thanks to agriculture, people have jobs and income, and their livelihoods are improving year by year. Surprisingly, the citizens said something different.
Due to the good pasture many herders from everywhere came and settled there. People from western provinces such as Bayan-Ulgii, Uvs, and Zavkhan are predominate. At best, the citizens joke that “our soum has become the cradle of many race”. However, in recent years, there have been conflicts and struggles between herdsmen, farmers, natives, and residents of the area due to land use, and this has started to affect the livelihood of households. Farmers say, “Limit the number of animals. Our soum has been an agricultural area since the beginning”, however, herdsmen protest saying, “Our interests and livelihoods should not be stifled because of the agricultural area.” One out of every two people mentions this issue. The local administration also mentioned that “conflicts caused by pastures and agricultural fields do not stop.”
In the framework of the “New Revival Policy”, the government is pursuing a policy of intensifying the migration to rural areas by balancing urban and rural development. Within this framework, the provinces have offered favorable conditions and opportunities to the migrants and announced that they are ready and open to accept anyone, anytime. Selenge Province developed the “Open Selenge” program and plan, which aims to bring rural development to a new level. However, Khushaat soum will not accept everyone coming. Specifically, the local administration decided to disallow new households with livestock to settle. He said, “Our province has been approved by the government as an agricultural zone. Therefore, households with animals will not be accepted. But it is open to people who are interested in planting crops and vegetables and running a greenhouse. There is a possibility of support if they want to comply with the basic policy of Soum and engage in intensive animal husbandry. We are ready to give land to anyone here for planting potatoes and vegetables.” However, even farmers are said to have conflict with each other.
Although the area belongs to the main agricultural area, not every person or household can do this type of farming. Residents said that it’s impossible to earn a regular income because it is a seasonal job, and families have already provided vegetables for their core needs, so there is no market for trading in this field. Autumn is the busiest season for the people of soum. Farming companies and households employ people for 30,000 MNT to 50,000 MNT a day, so there are no unemployed people during autumn. No one is found even after bidding. But at other times, the purchasing power and livelihood of the citizens, especially those living in the center of Soum, deteriorates, and the income of shops and gas stations as well. There, a woman working at a gas station of Petrovis Group says, "We don’t earn even close to a small store in Darkhan-Uul province. The income is good only in autumn.” Soums and settlements have integrated shopping streets, where shops and cafes are in one place. However, Khushaat Soum does not have such a street because of its small population. There are only six stores. They are scattered. They even joke about how they compete with the notes on the debt book. There are almost no non-agricultural industries, businesses, or jobs there. A single light block plant operates at a rate that depends on its market. It was locked when we arrived. Public servants are concentrated in only a few “houses” located together, such as schools, kindergartens, hospitals, cultural centers, police stations, and administrations. It is said that people do not stay because the salary supply of these organizations is low. The management said that there are six vacancies in the Governor’s Office. In the health center, there are five positions, including doctors and nurses. Schools, kindergartens, and cultural centers need teachers and experts like water and air.
Khushaat soum has 575 households and 2,082 inhabitants. N.Zakhirakhbaatar said that “The population is growing, the number of migrants has increased”, but the statistics say otherwise. The population of this soum decreased from 2,125 in 2021 to 2,082 in last year’s census. The number of households has decreased by 10 from 2021, reaching the level of six years ago. He couldn’t answer “Exactly how many citizens moved to and left from the soum in 2022” after being asked repeatedly. He did not provide detailed information about population migration. When asked what kind of policies he has on supporting the people who are migrating to his locality, he said, “We have been paying attention to the direction of bringing foreigners who live and work here under their jurisdiction, and to provide them with property and jobs. A decision was made to provide raw materials and materials needed for construction of new buildings, structures, and fences at a 30 percent discount through one licensed enterprise that manufactures wood and wood products. We are pursuing a policy of expanding the settlement area and providing citizens with their own land without any difficulties. Selenge province will approve its integrated land management plan next June. After that, there will be conditions for allotment of land to citizens in the extended part of the settlement zone. We are also planning to build a call repair and service center and a processing plant for animal raw materials in order to increase employment.”
Khushaat soum has shown a real example that local development is not valued based on indicators, awards, and incentives of a single sector. Although soum is considered an important region for agriculture, social development indicators are worse than some of soums in the western and remote provinces. Although it belongs to the central area, there is not even one kilometer of paved road. It is said that until recently, citizens used to cross the Orkhon River by barge and go to the city. Not all public institutions got rid of their wooden toilets. The general education school with more than 300 students does not have its own sanitary facilities and “borrows” one of the Cultural Center’s. Such is the actual situation in soums. Citizens of Khashaat soum talked about their daily life and problems
B.DELGER (herdsman):
- I am an original citizen of Tes soum, Uvs province. It’s been more than a decade since I came here. There are more than 400 animals, both small and large. I have reached this point by making a living from the profits of livestock. It is becoming more and more difficult to herd animals here. The amount of farmland increases year by year, and livestock pastures have decreased accordingly. In summer and autumn, during the harvest of crops and vegetables, several animals follow them day and night, up and down. If you go to the fields, you will be in debt of millions of MNT. If 30 or 40 horses are in one pole, the owner is fined five to six million MNT. It is difficult to increase the number of livestock, and it is even more difficult not to increase it. Citizens divided into two groups and fight between herdsmen and farmers is active in our soum.
B.SONGOO (elderly):
- I am retired after working for 35 years as a technician in charge of breeding sheep in the Orkhon Valley. I’m not a native here, but I have lived here since I was young. Compared to other places, there is no great prosperity in our area. I receive a pension of 500,000 MNT per month. I live alone, so I pass by somehow. My daughter, who works in administration, earns the same salary as me. How do young people live on it? It’s a pity. One porter fuel cost 450,000 MNT. Soum does not focus on the direction of supporting the elderly and does not do significant work.
T.MUNKHBAYAR (herdsman):
- It has been 14 years since I moved from Bayan-Ulgii. They are talking about moving to intensive animal husbandry. No significant progress. This is not an easy thing for people who have been living in the countryside since ancient times and tending to their livestock. We are trying to improve the breeding, quality and productivity of our animals as much as possible. However, the administration does not understand and continue to persecute some herdsmen. It is right to protect the grazing lands and agricultural areas, but the herdsmen should not be discriminated against. With their policies and decisions, they are forcing us to reduce livestock, plant vegetables, and cultivate crops saying our area is a farming area. This is an issue related to human livelihood. As an agricultural region, the livestock tax has also increased significantly. An average of 3,000 MNT is charged per animal. It is not appropriate to have such a policy to control the number of livestock and to create double pressure.
E.ULZIIJARGAL (Mongolian language and literature teacher at Khushaat Soum General Education
School):
- We moved here in the fall of 2020. I am a native of Zavkhan province, my husband is from Uvs. Previously, we lived in Darkhan-Uul province, Ulaanbaatar city, and in 2015 to 2016 in Khushaat soum. After living in many places and comparing them, I found soum to be the most suitable and friendly for children. I was working as a dormitory teacher and started teaching Mongolian language and literature since the fall of last year. My husband has been unemployed for more than two years until spring of 2022 when he started simultaneously working as a fitter and inspector in charge of the Khushaat section of “Darkhan and Selenge Electricity Distribution Network” JSC. For both of us, we got a job because of the profession we have acquired. It is rare for an unskilled person to find a job in the countryside. A resourceful person can start production and services that are needed in that area and locality. But it’s difficult. Production and services have not developed much in our area. Citizens go to Darkhan-Uul Province when there is a holiday or even to get their children’s birthday cake.
B.GANTOGTOkH (Farmer):
- It has been five years since I came to Khushaat Sum. I came for greenhouse farming. It was not well received. The request for land ownership was resolved after more than two years. Here, not only herdsmen, but also farmers do not value each other. They argue and make an issue in fear of “what if he does better than me, sow crops and vegetables in a larger area than mine.” Because the soum is small, the conversation in one place is quickly transmitted to another. Some of them bring horses and cattle to other’s fields to sabotage. It is said that animals are kept overnight and released at dawn. I initially intended to build a large-scale greenhouse, but now I am growing potatoes and vegetables to meet my household consumption. In winter and spring, transportation is carried out to Selenge and Darkhan-Uul provinces.
B.Tsend (unemployed citizen):
- Life is not easy in soum. Full of people with no income and debt. In winter and spring, the men go to collect pinenuts and trees to make a living. Women take care of the children and take care of the house. Our ammunition is made of natural resources. What if fruits and nuts did not grow and, crops and vegetables did not grow? That’s what I think from time to time. Natural resources are abundant, but it will end sometime. The yield will also decrease. Therefore, jobs should be created in new fields. Goods and products are very expensive here. Every time it comes, it is increased by 50 MNT or 100 MNT. It is normal that the products sold for 1,000 MNT in the front store are sold for 2,000 MNT in the back. I don’t know if they control it or not. Hardly, anyone has cash. After the pandemic, people’s purchasing power has deteriorated significantly. The average salary in soum is 400,000 MNT to 600 thousand MNT. The school treasurer has a salary of 550,000 MNT. They say that only teachers and administrators who have worked for many years get good salaries. No one wants to raise their children in such an undeveloped and low-paying place.
