A rugged country over twice the size of Texas, Mongolia is home to a population of 3 million people, half of which are spread across the varied countryside, from the Gobi desert to the mountains of western mongolia. Many citizens still live the semi-nomadic shepherding lifestyle their culture has long been known for.

The other half reside in Ulaanbataar, the capital and largest city in the country. The capital itself comprises two areas: the main, planned urban city center heavy with soviet-era architecture, and an unplanned ger (yurt) district that surrounds the city. In the last decade, a series of rapid changes in both climate, economic markets, and culture have threatened the world’s largest remaining grassland, forcing many nomadic shepherds into the city in the hopes of better economic prospects with largely unfavorable results. These changes include rapid desertification of grassland due to overgrazing (fueled by a fast-growing international appetite for cashmere), and unusually and exceptionally cold winters (dzud) that have devastated livestock populations. Those who do remain in the countryside or ger district must rely on burning yak dung, scarce wood, coal, and even trash for heating and cooking in their gers.

This portrait study was shot in conjunction with a self-led academic feasibility study on solar applications for rural nomadic households, with assistance from the Mitchell Foundation and Stanford University. Regions include Bayaan Olgii, Ulaanbataar, and Khovd.