A Saltford woman has gone to Mongolia for two years to help support nomadic farmers.

Alison Morgan, 47, headed off last month to the Central Asian country where here the average yearly temperature is -3.25°C, and winter can bring lows of -40°C.

She decided to make the trip with international development charity VSO after her youngest daughter flew the nest.

Mrs Morgan has vast experience as an agricultural specialist to help develop sustainable projects including the rebuilding of wells and improvement of livestock production.

Her work is vital because cyclical drought has led to the death of an estimated 1.4-million livestock since 1998, devastating Mongolia's economy.

Mrs Morgan said: "As an experienced livestock and agricultural specialist, I hope to share the skills I've developed over my career working with farmers. Of course, I've only worked with English farmers – Mongolian nomads may be a little different.

"I hope that I can gain a better understanding of the developing world, and how we can work to change the situation.

"I am also looking forward to experiencing a different culture."

She is excited about the chance to gain as much as she can give.

"I've have been involved in human rights for a long time, and feel so strongly about global inequality," Mrs Morgan said. "I wanted to make a difference within the developing world, and contribute to development."

VSO is a charity that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. It recruits professional volunteers who work alongside local colleagues, sharing their skills. For more information visit www.vso.org.uk.