DDI_MNG_2011_MCC-PURLP_v01_M Millennium Challenge Corporation 2015-03-03 NADA Version 1.0 (March 2015) Version 2.0 (April 2015). Edited version based on Version 01 (DDI-MCC-MNG-USDA-PURP-2015-v1) that was done by Millennium Challenge Corporation. Peri-Urban Rangeland Land Productivity 2011-2014 MCC-PURLP 2011-14 MNG_2011_MCC-PURLP_v01_M Mongolian Society for Rangeland Management (MSRM) NADA Millennium Challenge Corporation Monitoring & Evaluation Division Independent Impact Evaluation Edited clean data for internal use only peri-urban land livestock management productivity farm income Land As part of monitoring and evaluation activities, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Millennium Challenge Account-Mongolia (MCA-M) carried out an impact evaluation that examined how the securing of long-term land use rights and provision of infrastructure and training through PURP affects not just livestock herding efficiency and productivity, but also environmental degradation and rangeland quality in peri-urban areas. In support of the rangeland quality component of the evaluation, MCC signed an agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under this agreement, USDA provided technical advice and support to MCC regarding the monitoring and evaluation of pastureland and oversaw a local land quality contractor that carried out evaluation activities including the collection of baseline and follow-up data, as well as the training of local technicians and officials in sustainable land quality monitoring. Mongolia The peri-urban areas included 57 soums and districts located in five aimags and one city. Approximately 387 serviced tracts of pasture land between approximately 500-1500 hectares (grass-fed livestock system) and 100 hectares (intensive system) are being identified for approximately 15 year length project leases. Individuals, herder groups Herder groups in intervention areas Sample survey data [ssd] Mongolian Society for Rangeland Management The design encompassed a two-stage randomized selection process to determine which Herder Groups will receive the leasing slots that are available for the project. In the first stage of the design, all Herder Groups located in areas deemed fit for the project were allowed to submit applications for the available slots. These applications are cleared as meeting environmental and social assessment criteria and were scored by local selection committees, according to a set of predefined criteria. Those that pass this stage were short-listed for the second stage of selection. In the second stage of selection, the lease slots were randomly assigned to the short-listed candidates. Some candidates were randomly selected to receive a leasing slot (the Treatment group) while other candidates were not (the Control group). Random assignment led to the creation of two virtually identical groups at baseline. The only difference was that the Treatment group was offered the lease and other associated project assistance while the other group (the Control group) was not. As a result, any changes observed between the two groups over time could be attributed to the project. The PURLS (Peri-Urban Rangeland Leasing Survey) was used to collect data on the behavior and characteristics of Herder Groups in both the Treatment and Control groups. The outcomes of the herder households in the Treatment and Control groups were compared to assess the impacts of the program. Data were collected using the Line-point Intercept method (Herrick, J. E., Van Zee, J. W., Havstad, K. M., Burkett, L. M., & Whitford, W. G. (2005). Monitoring manual for grassland, shrubland and savanna ecosystems. Vol. I: Quick start. USDA- ARS Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM: Distributed by University of Arizona Press.) and Plant Production method (Herrick, J. E., Van Zee, J. W., Havstad, K. M., Burkett, L. M., & Whitford, W. G. (2005). Monitoring manual for grassland, shrubland and savanna ecosystems. Vol. II: Design, supplementary methods and interpretation. USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM: Distributed by University of Arizona Press.). The Plant Production method varied from the standard method in that all plants were clipped at 1-cm height from the soil surface, except shrubs and sub- shrubs. Nine plant functional groups were differentiated on each 50-cm x 100-cm quadrat (subplot). The nine plant functional groups are defined below: 1. All shrub species + All sub-shrub species (no Artemisia species). Only leaves plus previous year's woody growth (i.e., terminal nodes that grew last year) was clipped. Older woody material was not removed. 2. All Potentilla species combined. 3. Artemisia frigida only. 4. All other Artemisia species combined, including annual Artemisia species. 5. All remaining forb species combined. 6. All Stipa species combined. 7. All other grass species combined. 8. All Carex species combined. 9. All other annual plant species combined. Ericha Courtright, the Database for Inventory, Monitoring, and Assessment (DIMA) specialist at the USDA, performed additional data error checking and data cleaning with the help of Justin Van Zee and the MSRM researchers on each set of data after it was collected. Millennium Challenge Corporation Millennium Challenge Corporation http://data.mcc.gov/evaluations/index.php/catalog/149 Cost: None Courtright, E., J. Van Zee, D. James and J. Herrick. 2015. Peri-Urban Rangeland Land Productivity Monitoring and Evaluation Draft. Las Cruces, NM: U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service Jornada Experimental Range.