why is mongolia more suitable for herding then for farming?

Answer 1

In general, characteristics of land that is more suitable for herding than farming:

1. Land that can be cropped must be sufficiently flat to avoid problems associated with erosion by wind or water.

2. Land that is suitable for growing crops has to have soil that is fairly deep (>5-6 feet, on average) and rich enough to support the growth of plants without being ruiniously expensive to amend (i.e., add fertilizer to).

3. Soil in which plants can be grown needs to be reasonably free from stones and large rocks, which both hinder the growth of plants and can cause excessive damage to implements used to till the soil or otherwise work the soil.

4. There has to be enough water available to adequately water plants. This water may come from rainfall or from sources like rivers or lakes, or it may come from pumping from ground aquifers. If water is to be pumped up from the ground, it has to be cost-effective to do so. Pumping water usually means using electricity or fossil fuels to run the pump, and if the cost of the energy needed to pump the water exceeds the value of the crops that can be grown, there is no point in using the land.

5. The climate in the area has to be conducive to growing crops-- i.e., it can't be too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry. The growing season has to be long enough to allow the crops to ripen and be harvested.

6. Generally, there has to be an economical way to get crops to a market where they can be sold.

I think that covers some of the most important reasons why Mongolia is more suited to grazing animals than tilling for crops.

Answer 2

Because most of the region is covered with short dry grass--the annual rain fall is light --less than 5 inch's--and they also have high winds--not good for growing anything--so they have adapted the nomadic lifestyle that has worked for ever--