VZCZCXRO7339
RR RUEHLMC RUEHVK
DE RUEHUM #0282/01 1640915
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120915Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2255
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6209
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3409
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3083
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2296
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 0430
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 1786
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 1839
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 0307
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 0541
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0089
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 0085
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 0127
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0052
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ULAANBAATAR 000282 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/EX, A/OPR/ALS, A/HR/OE/CM 
STATE PASS PEACE CORPS, USTR, OPIC AND EXIMBANK 
USDA FOR N. SAKHLEH 
BEIJING FOR AGCOUNS AND FCS 
USAID FOR DEIDRA WINSTON 
BANGKOK AND MANILA FOR USAID 
TREASURY FOR T.T. YANG 
COMMERCE FOR ZGCROSS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR PGOV SOCI EAID ETRD ECON PREL MG
SUBJECT: NGO Reports 1/3 of Mongolia's Urban Households Lack Access 
to Sufficient Food 
 
REF:  A) ULAANBAATAR 0115, B) ULAANBAATAR 0177, C) ULAANBAATAR 0205 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: A recent Mercy Corps study has found that one third of 
Mongolia's urban households are "food insecure," meaning they do not 
have access to enough sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet 
their dietary needs.  Poverty and unemployment are key contributing 
factors.  Residents of provincial urban areas are less food-secure 
than their rural counterparts.  Food secure households are more 
likely to use a protected water source, give loans and own more 
land.  Mongolia is import-dependent (mostly from Russia and China) 
for such staples as flour, vegetables, processed foods and dairy 
products.  Domestically produced dairy, meat and vegetable supplies 
are heavily affected by season, with availability highest from late 
summer to early winter, and lowest during the spring.  Mongolia's 
low level of dietary diversity is similar to that of Mali, and much 
lower than in Vietnam or Bangladesh.  Areas for possible improvement 
cited by Mercy Corps include engagement with local food markets and 
promoting food security in low income, urban households.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. A recent study by the NGO Mercy Corps has found clear evidence of 
food insecurity among residents of Mongolia's provincial cities. 
Overall, one third of surveyed households are food-insecure; one 
quarter of all those surveyed were found to be moderately or 
severely food-insecure).  Poverty and unemployment are the largest 
contributing factors, with low job security and single-mother 
families also playing a role.  Those who have the least secure 
access to healthy food usually come from large households, live in 
ger districts, and rely heavily on income from government transfers 
to meet household needs.  Other mitigating factors include 
education, livestock ownership, and larger income transfers. 
(Reftels provide recent background on agricultural plans, 
small-scale food protests, and the impact of inflation on food 
prices.) 
 
FEMALE-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS AT GREATEST RISK 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. Households categorized as food-insecure are also more likely to 
be female-headed; to have taken out a loan in the past year; to have 
reported a recent illness in the household with an inability to 
afford medical care; to be dependent on income transfers as a large 
portion of household income; and, unsurprisingly, to have 
malnourished children.  Food-secure households were more likely to 
use a protected water source, give loans, have a larger proportion 
of income coming from employment, and own more land. 
 
IN PROVINCIAL CITIES, LESS ACCESS TO SUFFICIENT FOOD 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4. Citing the strong linkages between food security and the 
long-term success of economic development initiatives, Mercy Corps' 
study was intended to frame the issue in the Mongolian context.  In 
most developing countries, food insecurity is usually found in 
rural, subsistence agricultural areas. But in the case of Mongolia, 
residents of provincial urban areas were found to have the least 
access to "sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their 
dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life." 
Their rural compatriots could rely on a large supply of herder 
livestock (nearly 40 million livestock were recorded in Mongolia 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000282  002 OF 002 
 
 
last year).  However, rural households were more vulnerable to 
natural disasters (including drought and harsh winters) than their 
countrymen in provincial cities. . 60% of Mongolia's population now 
resides in urban centers, and the percentage is growing. 
 
MORE MEAT, LESS FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. Market surveys reveal that meat products were the most available, 
while fish, fruits and vegetables were scarcer.  Of the five main 
food sectors -- meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables, flour/cereals and 
other processed foods -- most businesses concentrated on meat sales, 
due to a large supply of livestock. Primary sources of flour, 
vegetables, processed foods (e.g. salt, sugar) and dairy (during the 
winter) were either directly imported from Russia and China or 
brought in from Ulaanbaatar.  All rice is imported from abroad. 
Mongolia's food processing industry is underdeveloped, and 
relatively little food production was found by the NGO's survey. 
 
CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE? DEPENDS ON THE SEASON 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. The dairy, meat and fruit/vegetable sector are heavily affected 
by seasonal changes; availability is highest from late summer to 
early winter, and lowest during the spring, when both food and 
employment are scarce.  The main causes of the fluctuations in 
supply are due to highly seasonal production patterns, limited 
food-storage (refrigeration) facilities, and poor transport 
infrastructure.  Collectively, this leaves Mongolian households 
facing a major period of food insecurity from March through May) 
each year.  A similar but less severe period begins in August and 
peaks in October/November. 
 
POOR DIETARY DIVERSITY 
---------------------- 
 
¶7. On average, households in the survey had eaten from about seven 
of the 12 food groups during the previous 24 hours, most commonly 
cereals, meat, miscellaneous (including tea and condiments) and 
oils/fats.  The least commonly reported food groups were eggs, beans 
and fish.  Eleven percent of the survey population had eaten from 
less than five food groups, indicating poor dietary diversity. 
According to the report, Mongolia's level of dietary diversity is 
similar to that found in Mali and much lower than in Vietnam or 
Bangladesh. 
 
A WAY FORWARD 
------------- 
 
¶8. Areas for possible improvement cited by Mercy Corps include 
engagement with local food markets and promoting food security in 
low income, urban households.  The report recommends initiatives for 
vocational training, job creation, infrastructure development, and 
local food production for local consumption. 
 
Minton