The incident, recounted by Ganchimeg outside her traditional ger, illustrates how nomadic families are turning to technology to cope with increasingly erratic weather and deteriorating pastures caused by climate change and desertification.
Hunu, a mobile platform founded by 26‑year‑old Bilgudei Gankhulug, equips one animal per herd with a solar‑charged GPS device. The data feed powers an artificial‑intelligence weather service that alerts users to dust storms, blizzows and drought conditions, and provides maps of snow depth, wind direction, soil moisture and other variables critical for migration decisions.
Bilgudei says the app was inspired by the 2024 “dzud,” an extreme cold snap that plunged temperatures to minus 45 °C and killed more than eight million livestock, devastating herders’ incomes. “Our mission is to empower nomadic herders with technology,” he told AFP, noting that the name Hunu means “strong nomad.”
Mongolia, where roughly 25 % of the population still practices nomadic herding, is disproportionately vulnerable to climate‑driven extremes. Scientists link more frequent cold snaps, droughts and dust storms to global warming, while overgrazing accelerates desertification across the country’s 80 % rangelands.
At the recent COP17 talks on a global desertification treaty, Mongolian officials secured financing for land‑restoration projects but warned that funding gaps remain large. Bilgudei hopes to expand Hunu into other Central Asian nations and reported interest from pastoralists in Tanzania and Uruguay who face similar environmental pressures.
Local officials echo the urgency. Dundgovi Province’s governor, Munkhchuluun Samdannyam, said three‑fifths of the province’s economy depends on livestock, and that dust storms originating there can travel as far as China, Korea, Japan and even the United States, underscoring the trans‑boundary nature of Mongolia’s climate challenges.
Not all herders are convinced that international forums translate into on‑the‑ground support. Fifty‑nine‑year‑old Bolormaa Erdenee, who tends about 400 animals, expressed scepticism that the voices of nomads are heard at events like COP17, pointing to mining‑related road networks that stir up dust and force families to relocate hundreds of kilometres in search of greener pastures.