Located at high latitudes, Mongolia cultivates crops mainly during the summer months (May-September), focusing on spring wheat and potatoes. During this reporting period (January-April 2023), no crops were grown in the region. Only 3% of Mongolia's cropland is irrigated, which means that agro-meteorological conditions have a decisive impact on almost all crop growth.

Among the CropWatch agro-climatic indicators, the average temperature in Mongolia was -11.7°C, slightly above the 15-year average (+0.6°C). precipitation was 67 mm, 3% less than the 15-year average. Solar radiation was 795 MJ/m², the same as the 15-year average. The potential cumulative biomass was 145 gDM/m2, 3% less than the 5-year average.

It's worth noting that although the overall agroclimatic indicators for Mongolia showed normal conditions during this monitoring period, the country experienced a severe "Dzud" event in the winter of 2022-23. "Dzud" is a specific term in Mongolian to describe an extremely cold winter climate phenomenon that often results in large numbers of livestock starving or freezing to death due to the harsh weather conditions. This climate phenomenon is unique to the Mongolian plateau and has caused massive livestock deaths. This Dzud event has a direct impact on the livelihoods of farmers.

In both the last and this monitoring period, Mongolia's VCIx was 0.66, indicating that the current vegetation growth situation is poor (the VCIx for the same period last year was 0.93 and 0.95). The spatial clustering map of NDVI anomalies shows that during the whole monitoring period, only in March, vegetation conditions were slightly above average in 51.6% of the area, while in most areas, vegetation conditions were below average at other times.

Overall, although agro-meteorological conditions in Mongolia were generally normal during this period, the impact of the Dzud event on the crop production situation has not yet become apparent as crops have not yet been planted. This will require close attention during the next monitoring period.

Regional analysis

Based on cropping systems, climatic zones, and topographic conditions, Mongolia can be divided into five agro-ecological zones (AEZ): Altai (135), Gobi Desert (136), Hangai Khuvsgul Region (137), Selenge-Onon Region (138) and Central and Eastern Steppe (139). Altai and Gobi Desert have no cultivated land, so we are mainly concerned with the three regions of Hangai Khuvsgul Region, Selenge-Onon Region and Central and Eastern Steppe.

In the Hangai Khuvsgul Region, accumulated precipitation was 53 mm, 21% less than the 15-year average for the same period. The average temperature was -13.3°C, an increase of 0.4°C from the 15-year average for the same period. Solar radiation was 806 MJ/m², an increase of 1% over the 15-year average for the same period. The potential cumulative biomass was 117 gDM/m2, a decrease of 13% from the 5-year average for the same period. The VCIx was only 0.57.

In the Selenge-Onon Region, accumulated precipitation was 71 mm, an increase of 3% over the 15-year average for the same period. The average temperature was -11.0°C, an increase of 0.5°C over the 15-year average for the same period. Solar radiation was 791 MJ/m², an increase of 1% over the 15-year average for the same period. The potential cumulative biomass was 159 gDM/m2, a decrease of 3% from the 5-year average for the same period. The VCIx was only 0.67.

In the Central and Eastern Steppe, accumulated precipitation was 67 mm, an increase of 3% over the 15-year average for the same period. The average temperature was -10.7°C, an increase of 1.0°C over the 15-year average for the same period. Solar radiation was 812 MJ/m², the same as the 15-year average for the same period. The potential cumulative biomass was 179 gDM/m2, an increase of 12% over the 5-year average for the same period. The VCIx was 0.83, the highest of all regions, and this region was also the least affected by the "Dzud" event.

Prospects for planting the summer crops are close to normal, thanks to near average precipitation during the winter months.

Figure 3.32 Mongolia's crop condition, January - April 2023

(a) Phenology of major crops
(b) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI	(c) Maximum VCI
(d) Spatial NDVI patterns compared to 5YA                                       (e) NDVI profiles
(f) Rainfall profiles                                       (g) Temperature profiles
(h) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Hangai Khuvsgul Region (left) and Selenge-Onon Region (right))
(i) Crop condition development graph based on NDVI (Central and Eastern Steppe)

Table 3.56 Mongolia's agroclimatic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values, and departure from 15YA, January - April 2023

Table 3.57 Mongolia's agronomic indicators by sub-national regions, current season's values, and departure from 5YA, January - April 2023