Greens in April, in Mongolia...?

Photo: Raddishes have been harvested since early April in the GERES' Passive solar greenhouse R&D site in Ulaanbaatar.

From GERES' Community of Practice website, by Anne Randall:

 

The '“Food Security and Innovative Farming Approaches for Mongolia” Project (2010-2013, funded by the European Union) is led by a consortium of two French NGOs: Secours Catholique and GERES, who are working closely to support Mongolian NGO Caritas Mongolia.

 

The objective is to develop more efficient and diversified ways to grow vegetables at household level, in order to reduce the food insecurity which affects the most vulnerable families (1,000 families in Ulaanbaatar and in Gobi-Altai province).

 

Activities are intended to develop, implement and diffuse passive solar greenhouses (180 family and community greenhouses and 75 nurseries), improved techniques of soil and water management and bioclimatic cellars. GERES is bringing its technical expertise to the local partner during the first research and development phase on these 3 techniques. 

 

In Autumn 2010, a Research and Display Center was built in the middle of the peri-urban “yurt areas” [['ger districts' - TGB Editorial]] of Ulaanbaatar. The Research carried out in the center aims at testing:

1. The thermal performance of different designs of passive solar greenhouses.
2. Potential optimizations for solar greenhouses (ex: hotbeds for early seedlings, thermal storage in water tanks).
3. Improved soil and water management practices (ex: rainwater harvesting, windbreaks).

Photo: Ulaanbaatar peri-urban Research & Development site for passive solar greenhouse design.

 

At the same time, GERES has developed a new low-cost passive solar greenhouse design for peri-urban areas of Ulaanbaatar (see picture). The greenhouse size is relatively small (8,8 m*4,4m) compared to “usual rural solar greenhouses” diffused in Asia. The constraints (in terms of suitable space available) are high: the standard size of the plot is small (700m2), with a large amount of available area often already occupied by other structures.  Each plot is fenced with a 2 meters wood barrier and the orientation of the plot may not be suitable. 

 

The size has thus been adapted to fit the families’ site constraints while insuring a sufficient vegetable production meeting their needs.

 

Passive Solar Greenhouses represent a new technology in Mongolia and have aroused a big interest from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Governmental Agencies, since the project's beginning. This shows promise for this resource’s development in the country.

 

In this early spring 2011, greenhouses began their first full growing season. Thermal and agronomic performances tested since last autumn are revealing first results that meet our expectations. 

 

Research greenhouses can be used from late February to early December (we have to keep in mind that atmospheric pollution in Ulaanbaatar reduces winter solar radiations).

Photo: April 27, 2011.  Inside the Ulaanbaatar research greenhouse.

 

Family greenhouses can be used from mid-March for direct hardy vegetables seedling (radish, lettuce, turnip, spinach) and beginning of April for sensitive vegetables/fruits transplantation (tomatoes, cucumber, sweet pepper). At this date, greenhouses generally used in Ulaanbaatar (tunnel-type greenhouse) are frozen and usually start to be used from mid-May. Spring is a critical period regarding food security; thanks to these greenhouses, Ulaanbaatar families will be able to consume fresh and nutritive vegetables starting from April. 

Thermal performance inside Ulaanbaatar greenhouse from Mar 17 - 20, 2011. 

 

Some thermal data: At mid-March, during cold nights (minimum -20°C), the research greenhouse allows to gain 20°C and the family greenhouse allows to increase the temperature by 15°C. 

 

Prospects: Thermal results will allow us to compare the different designs performances and suggest relevant optimizations. The main objective for 2011 as regards to agronomic experimentations is to suggest a new schedule for farmers, which will be adapted to this longer cultivation season, in order to make a better use of the opportunity offered by the passive solar greenhouses.

 

Photo: Anne Randall inspects this season's early crops.

____________________________________________

For more information about the “Food Security and Innovative Farming Approaches for Mongolia” Project, contact:

 

 

Anne RANDALL

Agronomist/Technical Adviser Mongolia - Country Representative

 

GERES - Group for the Environment, Renewable Energy and Solidarity

Sukhbaatar District, 6th khoroo,

University street 11/1, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

P.O.Box-1353, Ulaanbaatar-13 Mongolia

Tel: (976)98105052

Mobile: (976)98080928

a.randall@geres.eu - www.geres.eu

 

 

'Guguan' hasha, Final Design Site 3. (Day 12)

Students were given final design tasks today, 3 different client profiles at 3 separate sites:

 

Client profile 3, 'Gugan' (fictitious but realistic):

•  Single female, head of household (40something years old)
•  3 children, ages 16, 12, 8
•  Works as school cleaner, makes enough money to feed family but nothing left over (food secure)
•  Keeps 1 cow for milking
•  Passive solar greenhouse beneficiary
•  Good relationships with neighbours, especially other female heads of households
•  Looking for ways to earn more income

 

Design brief:

• Design a hasha garden design that is highly functional, productive, cost-effective, energy-efficient and can be maintained & developed by the client and her children. 
  
• Incorporate chickens & a passive solar greenhouse into your design.  
• Create a viable microenterprise for Gugan to earn extra income from her home compound. 
  
• Use succession planning to present your design in four phases, to be implemented over four years.

 

Photo: Final Design Site 3, located on outskirts of Ulgii City, approximately 3,000 square meters, water table is 20m below surface.

Photo: Two of three existing houses on-site.

Photo: Drainage ditch leading up to third house on-site, currently used as wintering residence for nomadic herder family.

Photo: 3rd house, traditional Kazakh construction.  Ger frame can be seen in storage to the right.

Photo: Mereut, aka 'Gugan' in front of her home.

'Tilyeubek' hasha, Final Design Site 2. (Day 12)

Students were given final design tasks today, 3 different client profiles at 3 separate sites:

 

Client profile 2, 'Tilyeubek' (semi-fictitious):

•  Married, head of household (43 years old)
•  Wife + 3 children ages 21, 19, and 1 (older children are studying away from home)
•  Job takes him away 2 weeks /month
•  Makes good money, but is paying & saving for children's education - not much left over.
•  Wife enjoys baking, especially apple-cakes.
•  Wants to invest in cost-effective, energy-efficient greenhouse.
•  Is a smart man, and wants to beautify hasha for his wife.
•  Plans to open a shop in streetfront, and wants to differentiate from competition across the street.
•  Owns veggie plot with family in countryside; has root cellar under shop for storage.

 

Design brief:

• Design a hasha garden design that is functional, productive, beautiful, low-maintenance, cost-effective and energy-efficient, and meets all of Tilyeubek's stated needs. 
  
• Create a microclimate for growing the region's apple variety, and beautify the entrances to the family compound and shopfront. 
  
• Incorporate chickens & a greenhouse into your design.

 

 

Photo: Inside front entrance to family compound.

Photo: Tilyuebek's youngest daughter and friend greet us in the hasha courtyard.

Photo: Future site for streetfront shop.  Walls will be rebuilt so that door is accessible from street.

Photo: Entrance to root cellar from inside shop.

Photo: Tilyeubek Kapu, youngest daughter, and neighbourhood child.