To Shaamar!

I'm setting off for Shaamar soum (town) tomorrow for a week of field research.  Shaamar is a small town in Selenge province about 20 km outside of the provincial center, Sukhbaatar.  I visited the town in November and met with five farmers there, some of whom were farmers during the socialist period, some just newcomers.  I'm hoping to meet with those farmers again and many, many more as Shaamar will be the site of my case study.  It harbored a large collective farm during the socialist period and still cultivates a large proportion of Mongolian vegetables so it's an ideal site (and fits within my mediocre budget).  I'm hoping to learn how this region has fared transition specifically focusing on land ownership and financial issues.

I'll be gone for the week without internet access, so don't fret if you don't hear from me for a while. 

This should really kick-start my work and I'm excited to hear, see, experience and perhaps taste everything that's going on up there.  Many words to come upon my return.

Here's to blue sky, fresh air and veggies! Cheers!