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Tarayana Foundation

"Service from the Heart"

Over 20 Years of Rural Transformation

๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐‘๐จ๐š๐๐ฆ๐š๐ฉ

๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐‘๐จ๐š๐๐ฆ๐š๐ฉ

On 12th of February, 2025, the Tarayana Foundation hosted the National Consultation on the Agroecological Roadmap at Terma Linca Resort & Spa, Thimphu. The session was graced by Her Majesty Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, along with Lyonpo Younten Phuntsho, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Hon. Secretaries, Members of Parliament, representatives from International Organizations, Dzongdas, Directors, international experts, business entity, farmers’ representatives, and other distinguished officials.

This roadmap aims to promote sustainable agriculture, ensure food security, and uplift rural livelihoods aligning with Bhutanโ€™s national priorities on climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development.

Presentations on the Himalayan Agroecology Initiative background and strategic roadmap objectives and actions were delivered by Mr. Chhimi Dorji (Director, Tarayana Centre for Research & Development) and Dr. Sangay Dorji (Technical Director/Programme Specialist, Tarayana Foundation), respectively. Some of the Key points include:

๐‚๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ-๐ฌ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐›๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: strengthening of food system governance, led by the MoAL, involving relevant ministries and departments.

๐’๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐š๐ ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ: Incentives for practices like agroforestry and organic farming, improved irrigation (drip/sprinkler systems), and exploration of lift irrigation and rainwater harvesting are recommended.

๐’๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Strengthening farmer connections to institutions (schools, hospitals, etc.) and supporting value addition and post-harvest management are priorities.

๐‚๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐ž-๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐š๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž: Focus on climate-resilient seeds and protected agriculture (greenhouses).

๐ƒ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ž๐œ๐ก๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ: Using technology for real-time weather updates, pest/disease surveillance, and market information for farmers.

๐€๐๐๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐œ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ฌ: The roadmap aims to tackle food security, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic disparities.

๐€๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐š๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: The roadmap promotes agroecology for resilience, equity, and sustainability.

The roadmap aligns with Bhutan’s 13th Plan and national policies, supporting food security, sustainable agriculture, and agroecological resilience.

The discussions were skillfully facilitated by Dasho Chencho Norbu, Technical Advisory Committee member of the roadmap, fostering engaging and interactive sessions.

Lyonpo Younten Phuntsho, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock emphasized the extensive policy framework within the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL), noting that the existing 50 plus policies could be streamlined into approximately 20 well-defined policies and frameworks for greater efficiency and clarity.

We extend our gratitude to all facilitators, Technical Advisor and Technical Working Committee members, moderators, and participants from various stakeholder groups for their invaluable contributions!

This project is a collaborative effort in Bhutan, Nepal, and India, supported by the World Future Council (WFC) and IFOAM-Organics International (IFOAM-OI). In Bhutan, the Tarayana Foundation, with the endorsement of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, has led the roadmapโ€™s development through extensive consultations.