Ten thousand tons of water comes from one mm rain in one ha land.

Encountered global warming and draught, and expected drastic decrease of wheat crop in our north neighbor were likely cause of flour price increase in our country where core food products are imported. The reason of seizing this opportunity in this way is related to the draught that has occurred. Therefore, let us have specialist’s opinion on the current event.

G.Mungunbaatar, coordinator of “Rain richness” state manufacturing agency says “Having rain by shooting rain clouds has great economic efficiency”. Since the agency is state organization, it is financed by the state budget. In each aimag, local specialists run local branch because they know the communities better and head organization provide direction for local branch. He continues his talk:

- Recently, aimags with forest fire come more to our agency. We started working since July 5, before Naadam, to damp the fires. We put the major fires out in north part of Selenge aimag and Asralt Khairkhan of Khentii aimag. Generally, putting the fire out requires major planning including from where to bring forward the rain clouds. If the clouds are close to fire location, smoke and heat often chase away the clouds. In addition, if the strong wind is raised the fire even would get worse. Therefore, the rain clouds are shot from distance, usually about 40-60 km distance.

Before Naadam, we made possible maximum of 71 mm precipitation. Generally, plants are revitalized when 5-6 mm precipitation falls in the soil. For putting the fire out, over 10 mm precipitation is required. Although, it costs several million tugriks to shoot one rocket, it should be seen from benefit side not from the cost side. It has great deal of economic efficiency. One mm precipitation in one ha area equals to pouring of ten thousand tons of water in the area. In this regard, this is considerable investment. Third campaign of the Government to use abandoned area was successful. The whole process of getting rain by shooting clouds are very beneficial in terms of becoming supplier of food demands domestically and bringing benefit to livestock industry, pasture and solving crop sector issues etc. Russia, our north neighbor, in previous years harvested 100 million tons of wheat and this year they event doubt about harvest reaching 75 million tons. With this situation, it is good that our crop region is in favorable condition.

Mongolians start working when the plants start drooping. Heat on the soil with 640C can dry up any moisture. On the contrary, it makes evaporation and generates small clouds, which can have importance of reducing heat by shielding the sun. In today’s world of mankind struggle to make decision whether to live under law of nature or not, we are making some influence in certain process of weather. Our country cooperates with Global climate organization and Government is allocating funding for this process. There are some rumors and misguided information among population about concealing the information about overheats and over freeze, the broadcasting organization operates and broadcasts in accordance with standard and regulations using worldwide used measurement equipments.

Not every cloud is shot for rain. The clouds developed to bring thunderstorm and flood disaster could lead to great danger and loss if shot, thus these kinds of clouds are should not be touched. When the temporary rain clouds have mixed component with microorganisms, water drops and solid mass would be more effective. If influenced in right way, the clouds in this stage can bring great amount of rain.

Currently, we observe cloud movement one day before shooting. Mobile and permanent radar system identifies the height and irrigation of the clouds. The clouds go up in the area with heat. Although, the clouds seem apparent in the eye, when it comes to influence, they go up over 4 km. Rocket shoot can only travel 4 km in height. These reasons create unfavorable condition for getting rain in Gobi aimags.

Our work object is cloud. This means we get rain by choosing and influencing clouds with certain conditions. In other words, it means that we influence small clouds and increase intensity and expand spectrum of them. For instance, we get rain by expanding 40 km clouds up to 80 km in width and 100 km in length. Our country started shooting clouds since 1990, and the operation is intensified since 2006 with estimated economic benefits.

The team visited the biggest lake in Mongolia-Lake Khovsgol, and met with local environmentalist and nature protectors. The natural environment of this aimag is also under severe pressure from mining business and desertification, just like most other aimags in Mongolia.

Murun and Khatgal are the two major administrative and business towns in the aimag. We were very excited to spread our message this far and enroll new citizen journalists with high ambition.

And on July 3rd. The team return to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, to have one special workshop for kids!

This special workshop was designed by Taiwanese University students and NomadGreen editors together. Enkhuush, the marvelous Mongolian student who studies in National Taiwan University, is the key to this successful event.

We taught these kids how to become small citizen journalists by drawing what they saw in their daily life. Education is considered as one of the most crucial issues along with environmental protection. NomadGreen wishes to combine those two issues and make kids the initiator of change in their families.

You can check more photos by following the links.

Workshop in Murun, Khovsgol Aimag(Province) on June 29.

Workshop in Khatgal, Khovsgol Aimag(Province) on June 30.

Workshop at NomadGreen's new office/Internet classroom in Ulaanbaatar on July 3rd.

Participants talking about their opinion on local environment

This year’s first workshop in rural area started from Khuvsgul aimag/province. Khuvsgul is the biggest province situated at northern part of Mongolia and also a major destination for tourists who want to see the deepest Lake Khuvsgul, visit reindeer herders' family and enjoy in entirely nomadic life.

To find the room with 10 computers connected to the internet was not easy in Murun city, the aimag center. But we found the room with five computers connected to internet by gracious help from local journalists and others.

All participants coming to our workshop was so happy that they had opportunity to learn about writing on internet and had concrete information of how to write environmental issues in the website.

Introducing NomadGreen's activity

Participants are doing "home work"--writing the outline of their first report

Participants accomplished their duties

Two journalists who participated in this workshop expressed their thanks for the chance to cooperate with NomadGreen project and its effort to deliver local news to the world.

After the training, our team of NomadGreen was invited to the local TV “Sky”. They introduced their activity and at the end Mr. Axiou /project director of NomaGreen/ was interviewed by the channel.

Axiou and repoter of TV

4 participants at Khatgal's workshop

Next day we had another workshop in Khatgal soum/village situated at the southern end of Khuvsgul lake. Although the participants was only a few there, the equipment for presentation is provided by the help of local office for protected area.

the eqipment was good here at Khatgal

Participants were pleased to learn about NomadGreen

“Ninja”--or artisan miners--in Mongolia means people who dig dirt, live outlaws and seek for gold on old/used mining fields. There are around 5000 artisan miners working in Uyanga soum /village/ of Uvurkhangai aimag / province/ in Mongolia, today.

There was some false information saying that ninjas were reducing in last few years. Actually the number increases to 10,000 during summer season at the area where Ongi river starts which is the range named Taats coming from Khangai mountain.

It seems more understandable why the Ongi river has gone off. The Ongi river which begins from this mountain run through four aimags including Uvurkhangai, Umnugobi and Dundgobi. I remembered in one article published last year on NomadGreen.org talked about the old man who is desperately waiting for this river to come back to mother land again.

This waiting was like parents waiting with high belief that his or her son/daughter will return to their them or their countries after a long suffering time.

The evaporation of Ongi river made many who live in Gobi suffer for past ten years. Mongolia is the most effected area from desertification, especially in Gobi, the water is a really hard issue at this moment. The Ongi river was the only one water resource of Gobi's life. But, there are more than 10,000 ninjas digging dirt at the very beginning of this river and destroying and poisoning the source of water.

So, we, a group of journalist including Italian journalist Gabriele, came to this place to take reportage about artisan miners. Many people were working here and there between dump, picking up some dirt and washing them in the pools among the hills. You can see a lot of ghers /traditional Mongolian yurt/ of different shapes-round and roofless and tumbledown etc. These were the accommodation of ninjas.

The police officer said “...now is rush hour for ninjas because summer vacation has started”. According to his words, it is not a surprise to know that here works a lot of children during their summer vacation.

Afar away from us, one excavator were destroying the highest damp which is called “Eifel” by local people. All those damps were left from “Erel” mining company who had extracted gold at this area 20 years ago. There were many scandals about this company while local NGOs claimed against “Erel” company for not doing their job of rehabilitation of mining field and not following the law of Mongolian natural resources. But “Erel” company still remain silent about the rehabilitation until now.

After “Erel’ company left this field, ninjas started to work here for last 15 years. From year to year they extending the digging field and now they are digging untouched field in the area.

The rest of this big mountain will be diminished if they continue digging for another 10 years.

Ninjas, sitting around the pools among the hills, washing and rinsing the dirt along the basin are not paying attention to us when we were taking pictures and videos. Most of them seemed to be women and some of them looked so young. They were sitting on stoop, staring at the basin and seeking something carefully. After rinsed, they found some “dust” of gold at the end. That was a precious moment for them. By accumulating all the dust, it will be more like a small piece of gold.

Some of them were "smaller" /means newest/ groups who also work in the old extracted mining field. They came here together with their friends or relatives during summer months and return when winter/cold season starts. Their daily income was a little than others who live here and work continually. Sometimes they earn nothing for months, and even owe a huge debt for food while staying here. They said sometimes they just pray for earning at least enough money for transportation back home.

Meanwhile the poorest were merely praying to find at least a little amount of sand that can pay their bread. Some people were satisfied at their living status and thinking about how to continue their jobs. We also met some ninjas who criticized the Government, because they had no support from Gov when they want to improve the technology adapted for artisan miners. I suppose these ninjas, who live and work constantly here, earn enough money, but illegally.

Usually they join into groups with relatives and friends. Each group’s leader is someone local and sort of educated. I noticed that people who were newest or poorest must go at first, usually to the dangerous post such as entering the deepest hole and take the earth from it, etc.

A groggy man at the age of early 40s came to us and said he would like to be interviewed. We had a talk with him. He was a senior ninja of a small group of ninjas. There were 6-7 ninjas working in his group. I will continue my report about his talks in next reportage

One of the Mongolian famous poets Choinom said “The more you know the life value, the more you receive the life favor. If you don’t realize its importance, you would be blown like dust”. Life teaches exactly the variety of bad and good things so it is a vast space.

Human being lives only one time. Therefore, we should live with full of energy and enthusiasm and being happy and optimistic. That’s why above things are our priority goals. Human live on the blue planet and the earth feed us. All things such as air that we breathe, water that we drink and sun that support us come from Mother Nature.

Unfortunately, we cut cruelly our forests and construct huge houses on the beginning of water or on mountaintop because of our desire. It doesn’t matter whether the place you will build your house might be harmful to the nature or animal. Also, people we destroy the motherland because of mineral resources such as gold, copper and diamond. Although we can meet our needs now, the mother land is to demand its price.

Global warming, climate changing, sudden cold, earthquake and tsunami or hurricane – everyday we face these natural disasters. Thousands and thousands of people lose their lives due to earthquakes or hurricanes in many countries. In addition to these disasters, weather becomes colder in winter and we face heavy snowfall in Mongolia. I think that these disasters might be punishment because of our wrong activities.

From ancient times, Mongolians have been living by worshipping the nature. One example that we think our nature is the same as our mother is our mother might die if we draw something on ground. In addition to this, if you drive stake into the ground then retake it, you must fill the pole. It means that we jab with needle into our mother’s eyes so we must fill the pole. By doing above things, we love our land and earth. Nowadays, the tradition is broken. In order to find gold or other natural minerals, we invert the mountains and cut off the rivers and lakes. The people who have done these actions protect themselves by saying that they can’t live if they don’t do such things.

We don’t live to eat. People eat to live. By cutting trees in order to live in warmer houses, we are facing the desertification. As a result, the ozone that protects us from ultraviolet light has become thinner. Moreover, some people kill animals with fur in order to wear fur clothes.

All things in nature are related to each others. If lurks are killed, moths and grasshopper would increase then eco balance would diminished. Human beings' wrong activities cause the eco-imbalance. Do you really want this life by killing so many animals and destroying so many lands?

We thought that it was right for human to hunt animals but it was wrong for animal to kill human. Actually, in true life, human/we had become the monster against the nature.

It is said that tomorrow and today is important, but we damage so many tomorrows of nature because of our selfish behavior. Although we regret losing our money, we don’t regret losing our futures. Human being leans on the nature. It means we depend on our nature. Therefore, we should focus on actions that we would do. We should not forget that we inherited beautiful land that has so many treasures. However the latest new high technology is developing, it can’t be better than the nature. Perhaps, the things that we worship now are going to be rubbish in the near future.

Foreigners have been polluting our nature for so many years in order to develop our countries. Tourists come to Mongolia to see the beautiful natural scenery and attractions while others come to developed countries to visit the highest and higher constructions made of glass and steel. In fact, there is no live things that can refresh our feelings in those countries.

Even though our country must develop like other countries, we should not replace our forest and animals with their highest constructions. If the natural disasters happen continuously, human being would lost with the earth.

What should we do to preserve our planet? If every citizen realizes the value of nature, our nature would not be destroyed. We should love our earth like we love our mothers. Why don’t we plant trees and stop human wrong activities in order to save it?

I would like to make suggestion that human should love the blue planet like we love our parents.

We came late in the night, but we got up early in the morning around 7AM. Around 8AM we had a breakfast. From that moment I had begun to see things which are never seen in my glance. Especially, foods. In the Hotel food court we serve to ourselves. There we were choosing things of food components such as weeds, soup, boiled eggs. I was really interested in boiled eggs because it is like a painted by brown color.

At first, I thought it is another species of bird’s egg. But it is not. It is boiled eggs in tea. We can eat boiled eggs in Mongolia, but no colored eggs. Then I thought that is kinds of food differences between two countries.
After breakfast we visited the question mark shaped stadium for World Games. It is called ‘solar stadium’ because its roof is made by solar power panel. I was amazed by hearing electricity from solar panel roof. It is such a green thing, I thought. But, after hearing my friend Axiou’s description, my understanding was changed.

According to Axiou modern solar power panel is not a so perfect solution to saving money and eco-thing. Process of making solar panels requires a lot of water and energy. From the example of solar panel roofed stadium, sometimes it is polluted by dust so when it gets dusted people needed to spent a lot of money, effort and energy to clean it. Therefore it doesn't necessarily save money by using solar panels. Producing solar panel makes pollution and uses a lot of pure water. So, solar panel and any other things like green technology need more innovation and development.

After visiting the stadium was our lunch time. In a lunch time we had delicious foods. Some of them are things that I had never eaten before such as shrimp, shark meat, sea shell and other kind of sea food in my life. In Mongolia we have those kinds of food by importing. But it is expensive. Average people are usually unable to buy it. And since it is food,  its quality gets worse in process of importing and transportation.

Finally, it is better we hold a saying: "you eat breakfast lonely in the morning, have lunch with your friends, and surrender your dinner to your enemy". It means that eating in the evening is extremely dangerous for your health. Therefore you should think what you are eating and when you are eating.

We are in Taiwan and everything is strange and interesting for us. Today is 30^th of April in 2010. It is quarter past seven. We had a dinner with our Taiwanese friends and guides. Fortunately, we were united with Mr.Baatar Hai, Mongolian Tibetan Affairs Commission, and one Indonesian girl. She was adorable and cute. I wanted to take an interview from her, because she is a Indonesian I never met before.  This is what she spoke to me:

• My name is Shinee and I am a citizen journalist of Nomadgreen website in Mongolia. What is your name?
• My name is Neny. Pleased to meet you.
• Where are you from?
• I am from Indonesia.



• Why are you in Taiwan?
• I study here and I am a student.
• How many years have you been in Taiwan?
• It is almost four years. This year I will graduate from my school.
• If you don’t mind, can I ask about your subject?
• I study Chinese and literature.
• What do you see in Taiwan comparing to your own country? What is the difference?
• The difference is that there is a winter in Taiwan, but in Indonesia there is no such season at all. During winter it is very cold to me. /she smiled/
• What is similarity indeed between two countries?
• Taiwanese like to help other people like us. They are friendly and open-minded.
• Are you interested in ecological issues such as global warming and natural dissaster?
• Yes, of course.
• What are you worried about the most?
• Well, last year in winter it was colder than this winter. So, I think it is getting much warmer year by year.
• Do you know about our country Mongolia?
• Yes I heard about your country from one Mongolian student in our university. He loves horses very much. But your country is really far from here.
• Well thank you very much for your interview. When it is published I will tell you for sure. Is there anything you want to tell to our readers in Mongolia?
• Well, my father waslost during tsunami in December in 2004 and my mom was died from stroke. In Mongolia, there is no sich natural dissaster like us and Taiwan I think. So you, Mongolians are happiest population and tall, highly educated people. Before meeting you, I didn’t imagine Mongolians very well. Now I have some inspiration and knowledge about you guys. Thank you very much for talking to me today.



• It is my pleasure. I hope your parents’ soul are watching you from the above. I wish you to graduate from your university successfully and happy life ever…

our interview was over.

I was sorry for her very much. She and Taiwanese live in small island comparing to our land. We have no problem like tsunami or typhoon etc. So we are happiest population as she mentioned me. I felt the differences between our two countries all the time such as: development, population discrepancy, living style, food, responsibilty, tendency to life, and ocean etc.

A visit to a small bookstore in the town of Chia-Yi was included in our Taiwan tour program. Initially, we expected to buy some books there, which we later understood was not the reason. Upon our arrival, we were hospitably greeted by a modest young man named Yu Guo-xin.

He gives out all information and news about Taiwan and its history to locals and foreigners through books, and discusses historically significant books with his readers. The activity then expanded extensively for 10 years to what is now a Book Readers’ Club.

The point of this is that since opening his first small bookstore in a busy street at the age of 21, the man said he has achieved a good deal of success. Rather than his appearance, it was his devoted passion to protect and preserve his home country, its history, culture and tradition that captivated us. This made me wonder, at the time, why can’t we Mongolians do the same struggle.

Yu Guo-xin said he was highly concerned and heartbroken by the fact that in order to build modern constructions, the government is destroying and replacing many historic and culturally significant buildings of Chia-Yi. Therefore, he refused to do nothing about this matter, and gathering people with similar concerns and interests, he let his voice be heard. The success of this movement encouraged and motivated him to continue to save more of cultural heritage resources.

We learned through him that protesting against the government’s decisions and achieving positive results can be possible. It might seem to you that building fancy constructions with modern technology is a rightful decision. But even though we Mongolians have the freedom of speech and expressing our opinions to the high officials, it isn’t influencing enough to change or cancel their decisions. The clear example of this is seen from the mining sector issue of Mongolia.

It is almost a tradition that the Citizens’ Movements demonstrate on Sukhbaatar square, present petitions to the government, which if fails to be achieved, turns into tougher struggles. Very rare has it been we turned matters on our side, even when sacrificing our health and life.

The case was similar when Yu Guo-xin and his companions first fought using tougher methods to preserve their historical heritage and failed to see better results. But they never gave up the effort and finally saw results by choosing a gentler, more peaceful method of protest. His bookstore used to be located at an old house which was once the home of a regular 20th century citizen. But the government issued a decision to bring down the building, replacing it with a new, modern standard hotel. After much thinking, Hun-Yang came up with an idea that would keep the old building intact.

The plan was to explain and make them realize why it’s necessary to keep the old traditions and heritages. For example, they garner the public’s attention by operating bazaars and exhibitions that sell the citizens’ hand-made items, food and beverages, and hold small concerts and plays in those significant buildings and areas and then advertise the historical and cultural importance of those places to the visitors. Hence, not only was the aged house saved, people lent their hands to renovate it. Surrounded by fancy modern buildings, the old house stands , now a cafe, reminding people of how common citizens of the 1960’s lived and the importance of preserving history and tradition for the next generation.

Another place that was saved this way is an ancient prison of Chia-Yi. Anyone might think this unpleasant place with bad energy should be brought down. But its notably dark history tells that when the Japanese troops invaded Taiwan, they took many lives and people were locked and tortured in those prison cells. Nevertheless, it shows to the descendants, how much it took to defeat the Japanese and saved their small island and town, thus the importance of preserving it. What’s most important is whenever Taiwanese citizens pass by this old place, they would feel the historic event in their heart, as if they were there.

There’s a saying “the soft defeats the hard”. Yu Guo-xin deeply understood that shouting, screaming and tightening their fists wouldn’t make any difference. Therefore, he learnt that the most effective way is to turn to the citizens and their mentality. In result, the public supported their activity and the government was left with no choice but to raise the flag and surrender.

Chiayi tea farmer explained about ecosystem equilibrium that is to be inhereted to their young generation. They are always worring about their land. She said that we borrowed it from our future generation. When we go back we give it back to the owners. That is so true. This message made me think about our lifestyle again. We have been using things without control. At least, we don't set up wind break in the cropland. We like to change all cropland by new one. Last years, our behavior was changed but we still lack the experience on how to protect cropland, while we are still thinking we have a huge area with fertility soil. I am sure nobody is against me on that. I was visiting everywhere of Mongolia, and I saw many cropland without a windbreak. Only researcher planted Populous as windbreak in their study- plot. We have hardest weather because we need more windbreak compared with Taiwan.

Also she was talking about their lessons learnt and experience in line with biological methodology such as worm and other insects who live in the soil of tea plant. Consequently, tea harvest is getting reduced year by year as well as soil quality is changed. They defined a reason of it. It is caused by reduced worm and insect in the soil. Those insects were re- bred by them.

She said that you must use your own product which produced in your land. This message to me is that you grow your food in your land, and should not use imported foods. This is very good solution because we don't know imported vegetable's real history such as who, how the people grow vegetable in where. Right now, Mongolian can grow vegetable, but when can we provide our needs of fruits grown in our land?

Now tea farm use biological methodology to fight fly and insects. They breed a rabbit in the tea plots. The rabbet eat insects. Eagle eat the rabbit. If eagle fly in the sky. They happy because the ecosystem is balanced. They avoid from chemical methodology. They are producing an organic tea " Alishan". I translated Alishan tea poem into Mongolia. Alishan tea poem is as following:

Dew on the Clouds

Lingering fog on Alishan

Forming the first grade tea

Sense the fragrance

Savor the taste

Visiting the hometown of Alishan tea

To enjoy the scenery of misty mountain

And expereince the hospitality of tea farmers

They are better organized team. They try to produce a first grade tea in the worldwide. Aim of the tea farm is to produce best quality tea. I would like to wish them good luck and big success for Alishan tea farmers.

Nine Nomadgreen civil journalists sat on the train from Ulaanbaatar to Zamyn Uud at 4PM of April 25, 2010. This was the start of our journey to Taiwan. Domestic train was moving by passing relay stations and was rumbling just like prayer wheels turning round. On the long journey, my travel team meets with each other and was having warm conversation while playing cards until going to bed at 11 PM. Before sinking into deep sleep, my nose was congested with sniffing dust and hair was matted, which indicated the presence of Gobi zone. New morning was met on the train. This is not the moment to occur all the time in one’s life.

When we arrived at 8 AM in Zamyn Uud border point, it was falling with heavy wet snow, and last night’s thought about dust before getting to sleep was taken away by the smell of humidity without any trace. The travelers urged getting out of the train with the luggage to catch the bus goes to Erlin, Inner Mongolia.

On the sides of the road to get to Erlin, larches and pines planted in the row gives you one pleasant feeling. This was my first ever coming to Erlin. The address of shops and restaurants everywhere is written in Chinese and Mongolian Cyrillic letters (there were some mistakes with one or two letters). This gave me impression that I was in my home country.

Because of the heavy snow, all bus departures from Erlin to Beijing were postponed. Our journey continued by taking the bus with beds to Beijing from Erlin. The bus took off at 4 PM in the afternoon and we passed through several small towns the names of which are not familiar to me, while passing nice steppe of Inner Mongolia. The reason of mentioning these small towns is the plentiful windmills were placed along the road out of the towns. Windmill is one of the forms generating ecologically friendly energy. Recently, I wrote an article about making windmill by hand, which was published at Nomadgreen. If not the country or city, why not the households of ger district use the windmill. If one couldn’t afford buying manufactured windmill, the way making it using hand-accessible materials was taught. We arrived in Beijing at 8AM, April 27, 2010. We were supposed to take the flight Beijing-Hong Kong at 9:30AM; when we came to Beijing airport, it was 9:40AM. So, we had to wait for the next flight. While waiting the flight, wondered Beijing airport for a while. Several thousand people come and go, and have no idea how many planes take off and land on. After waiting some hours, we sat on the airplane directed from Beijing to Hong Kong.

When we landed in Hong Kong, humid and warm climate presented apparent disparity of the latitude. Missing the first flight has become the reason of being left behind the next flight. In Hong Kong airport, we consulted Taiwanese friends using wireless internet and flew to Taipei. We landed in Taipei in the midnight. Daniel, a kind guide met us at the airport, guided us to Kaohsiung city by taking regular bus. Early morning at 5 AM, we arrived in the hotel booked in advance by Axiou and Portnoy. We have only 3 hours to rest. Have to get up at 8 AM. Then the first day of travel in Taiwan will start.