The life of a livestock herder defies the challenges bought by Mongolia's climate - summers are very hot and dry and winters bitterly cold. But over the past two decades, climate change has made what's known as a dzud more severe and more frequent.
When the warning signs of an upcoming dzud in 2017/8 were clear, FAO acted quickly. The project's approach was twofold: destocking-for-cash and the distribution of livestock packages. Meat from this was also distributed to vulnerable households living on the edge of Ulaanbaatar. The overall cost of the Early Warning Early Action intervention came to USD 285 for each household involved. In return, each one benefitted by USD 2 008, which gives a 7.1 benefit to cost ratio.