Bhutan Observer Focus - Food Security

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BO F CUS FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY/ Friday, December 10 - 17 2010 1PROMOTING SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

BO F CUS

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO)

SPONSORED BY:

For a brief moment in time, Bhutan faced a serious threat of rice shortage when India banned export ofnon-basmati rice, a situation that forced Bhutan to examine its reliance on imports to feed its people. OnMarch 17, 2008, the Indian government placed the ban to address its own food shortage. Fortunately,the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) negotiated a reversal of the ban, staving o a potentially major

food shortage crisis in Bhutan. "From the experience of 2007 Global Food Crisis, we should be alarmedthat if we become more dependent on imported food, at times imports might be restricted even if

we have the purchasing capability. On the other hand, if we try to produce adequately and become self-suficient in

cereal grains, we will be less inluenced by external market forces"saidChencho Norbu, Director (Department ofAgriculture, MoAF)

The global food crisis of 200708 led to dramatic increase in the world food prices, causing political and economicinstability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations. In 2007, the total food import bills settled at anestimated increase of 25% in developing countries, where people spent as much as quarter of their income on buyingfood commodities. The average world prices for rice rose by 217%, wheat by 136%, corn by 125% and soybeans by107%, between 2006-08. We were paying Nu. 10 for rice for one week and then it leapt to Nu. 25 recalls Phuntsho,

a resident of Thimphu.

It was during that time that some of the major rice-exporting countries like China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Vietnam,

Cambodia and Egypt imposed strict bans on rice exports. Similarly, Argentina, Ukraine, Russia and Serbia imposedhigh taris or blocked their export of wheat and other food commodities completely.

RICE CRISES REDUX: COULD BHUTAN BE CUT OFF AGAIN?

Continue on page 3

FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY Vol. III, Issue XII,Friday, December 10 - 17, 2010


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FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY/ Friday, December 10 - 17 2010BO F CUS2

THE EIGHT PRIORITIZED

COMMODITIES IN BHUTAN

FOOD SECURITY IN BHUTAN

Rural Urban Overall

Food self-suficiency 41% 9% 32%

Cereal self-suficiency 45% 7% 33%

Rice self-suficiency 37% 8% 28%

Per capita food expenditure (Nu/month) 1103 1851 1328

Months with suficient food (months) 11.45 11.95 11.60

Per capita expenditure (Nu/month) 2035 4403 2748Source: Food Security and Food Self Suficiency in Bhutan- PPD, MoAF

The adjustment of the existing

10th Plan to accommodate

new initiatives under the ABSDProgramme by the McKinsey

consultancy introduced eightprioritized commodities targeted

for accelerated interventionthrough contract farming. Theinitiative is intended to concentrateresources, funds, and manpowerin the most potent growth areas.The current plan, however, doesnot clearly spell out how it wouldaddress food security and povertyin the remote areas. The eightcommodities are:

Rice1.Potato2.Asparagus3.Apple4.Pomegranate5.Passion fruit6.Orange7.Walnut8.

In Bhutan, the early Five Year Plans (FYPs) called for self-suficiency in staplefoods, while more recent FYPs focus on the goal of food security. There has

been a long standing debate on whether food self-suficiency is a useful

strategy to achieve food security. Supporters of this proposition argue thatrelying on the market to meet food needs is a risky strategy because of

volatility in food prices and possible interruption in supplies. The opposingview is that it is costly for a household (or country) to focus on food self-suficiency rather than producing according to its comparative advantage

and purchasing some of its food requirements from the market.

Rural people tend to be more food self suficient than urban dwellers. Rural

households report producing enough food for 12 months of the year in 42% ofcases. The other 58% obtain food for at least part of the year from purchasesand labour exchange. Total cereal production in Bhutan averages 211 kg per

rural inhabitant. But some gewogs produce no cereals; Lunana in Gasa, andthree gewogs of Thimphu.

The urban population is slowly beginning to battle with obesity. Thoughthe rural food self-suficiency is higher, the rural population suers from

malnutrition, low food availability and poverty. Although the national averageenergy consumption exceeds 2,500 kilo calories/person/day-in the worst hit

areas, this igure does not reach 1,900. Communities from the eastern and

rural regions of Bhutan experience notably higher levels of malnutrition andfood poverty than other regions and urban areas.

WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY?

RURAL VS URBAN FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY

According to Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO), food security

exists when all people, at all times,have physical and economic accessto suficient, safe and nutritious

food that meets their dietary needsand food preferences for an activeand healthy life. The deinition

takes into account four important

dimensions of food security:Physical availability of food1.Economic & physical access to2.

foodFood utilization3.Stability of the above three4.dimensions over time


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BO F CUS FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY/ Friday, December 10 - 17 2010 3Rice Crises Redux: Could Bhutan Get Cut Off Again?Continued from page 1

Bhutanese people are fond of eatingrice. The per capita consumptionof rice in Bhutan is approximately166 kgs/person/year, which is very

high. The demand for rice continuesto rise as cereals dominate the dietcomposition. Despite increase inthe production over the years, thedomestic production of rice hasnot been able to meet the growingrequirement. Bhutan still leans onIndia to make up the dierence as

the country is only 50% rice self-suficient at the moment. However,

the 10th Five Year Plan (2009-2013)

includes an objective to achieve 65%

rice self-suficiency.

Having felt the panic from the 2007

food crisis, today, we see manyinitiatives being taken at the global,

as well as the national level, toensure food security. Under the ABSDProgramme (Accelerating Bhutan's

Socio-economic Development),coordinated by the GNHC, a strong

policy commitment on how toimprove rice production has been

illustrated. Of the eight majorprogrammes being speciically

assigned for the MoAF, one is riceproductivity improvement andadvancement of irrigation facilities.It is clear that creating food

security is a massive balancing actthat requires the collaboration ofnumerous ministries as well as thedetermination and education of

the people of Bhutan. Accordingto Chadho Tenzin, FAO, some of

the major challenges faced in order

to ensure food security within thecountry are irrigation, availabilityof quality seeds and seedlings, landfragmentation and human-wildlifeconlict.

The food crisis appeared to explodeovernight, igniting fears that thereare just too many people in the

world. But according to the FAO,with record grain harvests in 2007,there is more than enough food inthe world to feed everyone-at least1.5 times current demand.

In fact, over the last 20 years, foodproduction has risen steadily atover 2.0% a year, while the rate ofpopulation growth has droppedto 1.14% a year. Population is not

outstripping food supply. Were

seeing more people hungry and atgreater numbers than before says

World Hunger Programs Executive

Director Josette Sheeran, There isfood on the shelves but people arepriced out of the market.

GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

2007-2008

The World Food Program said

that the rising food prices anda corresponding food shortagethreatened 20 million of theplanet's poorest children. Food

prices had risen 40% on averagesince mid-2007, and led to riots inthe Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

At a summit in London on 2007,the executive director of the WorldFood Program said that a silent

tsunami of hunger is sweeping

the world's most desperatenations. What we are seeing nowis aecting more people on every

continent. The price of rice hasmore than doubled in the past ive

weeks" - Josette Sheeran, Executive

Director, World Hunger Program.

The causes are scattered:increasing use of bio-fuels indeveloped countries, generalescalation in the cost of fertilizers,

food transportation, industrialagriculture, increased prosperityin emerging economies, droughtsin grain-producing nations, fallingworld food stockpiles and climate

change.


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Total amount of consumption of rice in Bhutan annually:100,000 tonnes

Percentage that comes from India: About 50%

Projected demand for rice in Bhutan for 2021: At least

150,000 tonnes

Year by which the RGoB has set a goal to reach 65%

rice suficiency: 2013 (It is possible, if there is enoughinvestment in irrigation and know how).

McKinsey's recommended target increase in rice yield: 1.7

tonnes per hectare to 2.2 tonnes per hectare

Percentage of India's GDP that comes from agriculture: 21%

Percentage of Bhtuan's GDP that came from agriculture in

2005-22.6%, 2007-18.6%

Year that agricultural growth began to decrease in India:1990

Percentage of Indias rice yield compared to China: 33%

Percentage of India's rice yield compared to Vietnam and Indonesia: 50%

Year by which Indias population is expected to cross 1.4billion: 2026

Year by which India is expected to be in deicit of all main

food crops: 2010

Percentage of Bhutan's total requirement of pulses and

edible oils imported from India: 60%

Percentage of cultivated land in Bhutan dominated by rice

and maize: 75%

Annual expenditure by wealthy nations on agricultural subsidies: $300,000,000

Approximate amount the EU spends on subsidies foragriculture: $75,000,000

Percentage that sector represents of the EU GDP: 2%

Increase in price of local rice in Bhutan during the foodcrisis of 2008: 33%

Amount by which the MoAF is planning to increase thenational food reserves mainly cereals and oils: From 1,658tonnes to 5,850 tonnes

The estimated national average daily energy intake in Bhutan: 2,555 kcal

The estimated national average daily energy intake in

Punakha: 3,227 kcal

The estimated national average daily energy intake in

Pemagatshel: 1,647 kcal

FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY/ Friday December 10 - 17 2010BO F CUS4

OBSERVER INDEX


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BO F CUS FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY/ Friday, December 10 - 17 2010 5

WOMENIN THE FIELDS

As per the Agriculture MachineryCentre, Paro, rice cultivation is highly

labour intensive as it requires 112man days of work per acre, startingfrom land preparation to harvesting.Out of this, about seventy days (80%)are put in by women. Ploughing theield is almost purely done by menusing either power tillers or bulls.While mechanized transplanting,harvesting and transportation areusually shared, all works donemanually, including weeding aredone by women mostly. We dontargue that women bring more income

than men, but you can see that menare not interested in repetitive jobs.I feel that they like jobs which theyare appreciated for and the outputis easily measurable, says one ladyfarmer in Paro. Thats why you seethat it is more males who migrateout (either permanently or on shortterm), and they will try hard to justifya job outside.

In many countries, they are the

mainstay of agricultural sectorsand food systems. Yet the mostdisadvantaged population in theworld today comprises rural womenin developing countries, who havebeen the last to beneit from-or in

some cases have been negativelyaected by-prevailing economic

growth and development processes.Gender bias and gender blindnesspersist: farmers are still generallyperceived as male by policy-makers, development planners andagricultural service deliverers.

Poverty, food insecurity andenvironmental degradation arerecognized as critical developmentproblems and have been givenhighest priority in the international

development agenda. Theseproblems have a disproportionatenegative impact on rural women,due to their inferior socio-economic,legal and political status as well astheir critical roles as producers andhousehold managers.

The causes and eects of theseimpacts are systemic. Theimplications for agricultural andrural development and for allinitiatives aimed at raising levels of

nutrition, improving production anddistribution of food and agriculturalproducts, and enhancing the livingconditions of rural population willbe far reaching.

In developing countries worldwide,women play a major role in farming.The work being of regular and

repetitive type, usually is taken forgranted and go unnoticed. On theother hand men usually take up workswhich require much higher strength,usually for shorter periods of timeand which are easily noticeable andpossess easily measurable impacts.

Leaving aside all other comparisons,assessments have always shownwomen to be putting in morenumber of hours of work in the

food production related activities.And this is seen to be much morepronounced in developing countrieswhere farming is much more labourintensive than in the developedworld.


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More than 200 species of mammals,770 species of birds (72 are amongthe most endangered species), and5,400 species of plants are protectedby Bhutan's strong environmentalconservation policies. But thereis one endangered species thathas not made it onto the list: TheRural farmer. The natural worldis not always a gentle one. Manyfarmers are under serious threat as

wild elephants and other animalsencroach on farmlands. Elephantsdestroyed 132 acres of crops in2007, causing damage to cropsand property. Bears recently killedtwelve cattle and horses in Kangparagewog in Trashigang, dangerouslynear the homes of the farmers. Andthe damage done by wild boars is acontinuing issue.

We spend all our time in growingcrops only to see them destroyed in a

single night by wild boars that comein group, said Tandin Tshering afarmer from Bemji village in Trongsa.After a hard day, we must stay awakein the night to ward o wild animalsthat threaten the very source of ourlivelihood.

The damage is not insigniicant.The worst hit was in 2005 whenelephants destroyed about 265acres of cropland in seven gewogs ofSarpang. And many such incidentsmay have gone unreported becauseof the remoteness of these ruralsettlements.

Some farmers have begun to blamethe country's often praised strictenvironmental conservation for theirlosses. Policy makers are caught in themiddle. On one hand, conservation ofthe natural environment is necessary,on the other hand, protecting thelivelihood of the rural farmers is the

duty of the government.

The Wildlife Conservation Division(WCD) and other concerned agencieshave implemented various strategiesto combat the human-wildlifeconlict but so far it has proven too

Human-wildlife conlict: A serious problem indeed!

complex to solve. The 86th session ofthe National Assembly resolved thatfarmers who suer from major cropdamage by the wild animals could bepaid compensation, but the practiceis very rare. One major reason is dueto lack of inancial resources. Sincethere is no crop compensation,we dont have any options, said afarmer in Dhur village in Bumthang.The National Post Harvest Center ofthe MoAF developed a solar poweredwild animal deterrent that emits ashrill nose and lashing light if thereis a disturbance. It can be bought for

a subsidized price, and many havebeen provided free but distributionhas been far from comprehensive.

There is no question that thecountry has a mandate to conservethe environment and the manyrare species of animals whothrive in Bhutan. But in the face ofmodernization and urbanization,the rural farmer is becoming anendangered species alongside thepygmy hogs, the tigers and the

red pandas. Bhutans economy isprimarily agrarian with subsistencefarming contributing to 36.4% ofthe gross domestic product (GDP).One of the critical challengesthe country faces is its ability tomaintain national food security

through agricultural production.Threats include the diminishingeconomic viability of food graincultivation that resulted from smalland fragmented land holdings, in lessacreage being cultivated each year,loss of arable land to urbanization,changing land use scenarios and thechronic loss of crops and livestock towildlife predation and devastationby natural calamities. As a result,there has been a continued declinein cereal cultivation and productionand a corresponding drop in the self-suficiency levels for cereals.

If a beautiful snow leopard or avulnerable river dolphin is hunted,the community is outraged, but it'smuch more dificult to see the uniquebeauty and vulnerability of a ruralfarming. If farmers cannot survivein the face of wildlife conservationeorts, what options do they have?Some may give up farming, migrateto the urban areas of the country,ind a small job and earn a living. Butwhat about the greater good? When

farmers give up their land, Bhutan'sreliance on foreign productionincreases. This rural-urban migrationis a major factor in reducing Bhutan'schances of becoming a food securecountry.

WHICH IS THE RARER SPECIES?

Source: Bhutan National Human-wildlife Conlict Management Strategy 2008, WCD


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FOOD

E-choupal internet kiosks are run by farmers and aim at improving the

availability of information to farmers regarding weather, market prices,

scientiic developments, risk management, sales and purchases. The kiosks

currently reach over four million farmers.Treadle pumps are distributed to farmers by the International DevelopmentEnterprises (IDE). The pumps are powered by foot rather than electricityand are extremely cost eective, with only one part needing to be changed

per year at a cost of 20 U.S. cents.The Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCL) distributed

mobile phones to farmers, enabling them to send and receive freeinformation regarding markets, fertilizers, electricity, disaster warnings,

farming practices, and training opportunities, plant and veterinary diseaseprevention, inancing services and government schemes.

The World Food Project launched a Food Security Monitoring

and Analysis System (FSMAS) allowing authorities to monitorfood insecure areas in order to better target initiatives.The project provides accurate and timely data about food

security to the government, UN Agencies, non-governmentorganization, research institutes and is also available on the

internet.

Drip irrigation technology has enabled tomato farmers to

increase their yields by fourfold during the drier months ofMarch and April. Researchers at the International Centerfor Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) calculated that every dollarinvested in the technology would yield a return of $4.71proit.

Shrimp farming started in the 1970s and expanded veryquickly. Shrimps are now the second most exported item

from Bangladesh. However, excessive amounts of pesticides,

chemicals and antibiotics pollute waterways and groundwatermaking the production of alternative crops basically impossible.

The lifespan of a shrimp farm can be as short as 2 years becauseof pollution. The land is left damaged beyond repair and unable

to be used.

BANGLADESH

NEPAL

INDIA

Source: www.ledars.org


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Cambodia Farmers Association Federation for AgriculturalDevelopment (CamFAD) was established to help farmersadapt to climate change impacts. Their innovations haveincluded a System of Rice Intensiication (SRI) which is

a sustainable farming practice requiring less seeds andminimum irrigation when compared to conventional farmingpractices.

A joint project between the Vietnams Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Development and CropLifeAsia uses innovative methods such as communitydrama and televised farmer contests. Thesetelevised contests have become a trusted source ofinformation about the use of pesticides.

SECURITYINITIATIVES IN ASIA

In 1967 the government began distributing high-yield ricevarieties, handing out subsidies in irrigation, fertilizers and

pesticides and market intervention in the domestic price of rice.

By1984 production exceeded domestic consumption. However,

these eorts were not environmentally or economically

sustainable. Government subsidized fertilizers were overused

and led to the development of chemical resistant pests, pollutionfrom pesticides severely aected ishing and overuse of farmland

caused devastating soil erosion and damage to soil structure.This has also been the experience in some parts of India.

INDONESIA

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

Source: www.farmersirst.org

Source: AnnieGreenSprings on lickr


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Despite growth in the urbanpopulation in recent years, Bhutan isprimarily an agrarian economy withmore than 66.6% of the populationderiving their livelihood fromagriculture (as per Bhutan LivingStandard Survey 2007). Of the totalarea of the country, 7.9% is arable,out of which only 21% is used forpaddy cultivation. Farmers cultivate

their land mostly with family labour,or lease it wholly or partly. Largerlandholders cultivate throughtenants or hired labour.

The share of agricultural sectordeclined from 35.1% in 1999 to32.7% in 2003 while the share ofconstruction rose from less than10% in 1999 to almost 20% in2003. Government is taking stronginitiatives to enhance production to

obtain 70% self suficiency in foodgrain production. However, the scopeof development of cultivating land islimited with the strong conservationpolicy of maintaining 72% forestcover. Further, the limited arable

agriculture land has been threatenedwith loss of valuable paddy ieldswith development activitiesdue to increase in demographicpressure and the progressive landfragmentation.

Increasing rate of urbanizationhas led to the conversion of prime

agricultural land and forestsinto lands of developmentalinfrastructure and other non-agricultural developmentalpurposes. Increasing trend towardsurbanization is one of the causesthat have resulted in farm labourshortages resulting in decreasedagricultural production. The strongdemand for labour from urban areashas left village homes to the ageingpopulation or hired caretakers.Extreme cases have resulted to even

abandoning of villages in search formore opportunities in urban areas.At six percent, Bhutans internalmigration rate is the highest in SouthAsia, according to UNDPs HumanDevelopment Report. More than 69%

Is our farm land disappearing?

As per the records maintained by NLCS and DoA, about 2000 acres of agricultural land have been lost to non-agricultural purposes over the past 10 years. Picture: Olakha, Thimphu

BEFORE AFTER

THE ENVIRONMENTFOOD SECURITY

&

of the population is already livingin urban areas. This has resulted inthe reduction of work force in theagriculture sector, under utilizationof established infrastructure in ruralareas and housing shortage andunemployment in urban areas.

Shift in occupation from farming hascontributed to the decrease in farmlabour thus aecting production andproductivity.

Since agriculture in Bhutan is highlydependent on the vagaries of weather,environmental conditions likeclimate change and land degradationcoupled with inaccessibility haveresulted either in abandoning of farmlands or leaving them fallow. Lackof adequate irrigational facilitiesand modern facilities, hard labour,

lack of opportunity for earning cashincome are some of the reasons forrural-urban migration. This issue ofmigration has already created farmlabour shortage in farm land leadingto many cases of uncultivated farm


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BO F CUS FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY/ Friday, December 10 - 17 2010 11land, thereby aecting the overallfood production in the country.Cost eective imports have gained

magnitude and are taken as asubstitute for domestic production.Moreover, with better access toeducation, parents send theirchildren to schools resulting in lesshelp in the farms. A survey conductedby Department of Survey and LandRecord (2003) indicated that out ofthe total wetland cultivation area of71,832 acres 23,132 acres was leftfallow. The resultant impact is thediminishing or under-utilization oflimited agricultural areas thereby

adversely aecting the national foodsecurity.

To address the problem thegovernment has taken initiativesto take the development activitiesto the rural areas. In this line, theMoAF is initiating integrated gewogcenters and improving rural accessthrough construction of farm roads.The gewogs under this projectwould be developed into a hub withfacilities like, entertainment centersand Internet cafes. Even RNR centersand postal services would be movedwithin that hub. Construction ofsuch centers has begun in eight pilotgewogs.

The Ministry is working on theproposal on the need to maintaincertain acres of agricultural areasas Protection of Agricultural Areasfor food self-suficiency targets tobe submitted to the Cabinet. To this

eect the Government of Finlandthrough IFAD will support Bhutanwith USD 150,000 to develop astrategy for delineating protectingagricultural land for Food Security.

There are, however, some positiveimpacts of rural-urban migration.According to a study conducted bythe Ministry of Works and HumanSettlement (MoWHS), the mostpositive impact is the remittance

received by the families in the villagesfrom their migrant family members.The study revealed that about 54percent of the migrants remittedtheir incomes home, which wasinvested in education, livestock, land

acquisition, health and householdnecessities.

45% of migrants are betweenthe ages of 16 30 years

63% of migrants had at leastprimary level education

Migrants from rural areasconstitute up to 72% of urbandwellers

There are 37.3 thousand migrantsin Bhutan who represent 5.7%of the total population

Currently, in the Bhutanese context,food self suficiency is basicallydominated by cereal suficiency. Riceassumes the most important positionand the rice self suficiency has beenreceiving relatively more attention.From the economic analysis, it hasbeen found that returns from ricecultivation are much lower thanthe cultivation of other non-cerealcrops such as vegetables and fruitstrees (cash crops). Therefore, the

pursuit to attain increased rice self-suficiency deprives farmers theopportunity of increased income

from crop diversiication. Thecultivation of rice requires irrigationwater, which requires heavycapital investment and recurringmaintenance expenditures.

"There is enough food foreverybody's need but not

for everybody's greed"- Gandhi

Rice Production (per capita) by Gewog

The igure above shows the pattern of rice production per capita at thegewog level. The darker green represents higher per capita rice production,while the lighter greens indicate lower per capita rice production. It isclear that the per capita rice production is highest in the west-central

region, although there are gewogs in the south and in the northwest withhigh levels as well. Per capita rice production is lowest in the north, wherethe cool climate reduces rice yields, and in the east, where maize is thedominant staple.

Per capita rice production115 497

64 11517 640 17

Source: Food Security and Food Self Suficiency in Bhutan- PPD, MoAF


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The oats Pema has for breakfast are

harvested in Australia, transported

7150 kilometers by land and seato be packaged at a plant in Pune,

India then they travel another1890 kilometers to be sold at a

supermarket in Thimphu. In fact,

Pemas breakfast has travelled more

of the world than she has. I took a

walk through the grocery store and

investigated the social, health andenvironmental impacts of local andimported food.

Bhutan depends heavily on importedfood. In 2008, food and agriculturalimports totaled Nu 3,850 million.According to the International FoodPolicy Research Institute, Bhutans

food imports are growing at 10% ayear to meet the growing demandfor choice.

Unfortunately, mother-nature bearsmost of the cost of importing suchlarge quantities of food. The transport

of imported items by land and seaover long distances consumes fossilfuels and generates carbon dioxide.In addition, imported foods requiremore packaging and refrigeration, all

of which contributes to generationof emissions.

Locally grown products are not onlyfresher than imported ones, theyrealso better for you. To travel thesevast distances, fruits and vegetables

are covered with chemicals andpreservatives so that they dont rotor go stale. These chemicals includesodium nitrate and sulfates, whichhave perverse eects on human

health. Also, the nutritional value offresh products declines over time sothe longer an apple takes to reach

you the less vitamins and mineralsthey provide. An apple importedfrom New Zealand might still look

shiny and fresh but its nutritionalvalue could be negligible.Perhaps the most signiicant cost of

buying imported products that arereadily available from local farms, isthat the proit goes overseas instead

GLOBE TROTTING

GROCERIESReporterNatasha Akib takes a trip through several Thimphusupermarketsof to local communities. Agriculturewas the single largest sector(according to the National StatisticsBureau) providing livelihood forover 65% of the population. Butthis number is steadily declining as

farming becomes less lucrative.

Most of the shoppers that I spoke to

support local products, but few werewilling to pay for the higher pricetag or signiicantly alter their diet

to consume less imported products.Pema Choden from Thimphu says that

although she tries to buy Bhutanesegroceries as much as possible, thejuice she buys (which is imported

from Thailand), is cheaper than localbrands. While other cereals such asmaize and potatoes can easily be

grown in Bhutan, the populationcontinues to prefer rice and over50% of this rice has to be importedfrom India. According to Dasho

Aum Neten "People are ashamed of

eating maize and wild potatoes as a

substitute for rice.eating rice hasbecome a status symbol."

Importing food isnt all bad news.

It gives consumers more choices atlower prices and provides us withproducts that cant possibly be grownor produced in Bhutan. Importedagricultural products will forceBhutanese farmers to improve thequality of their produce and althoughwe may feel compelled to supportBhutanese farmers, there are alsofarmers in countries such as Indiaand Thailand who struggle to make a

living. But as foreign trade increaseswe must continue to assess whetherthe costs of our dietary choices aresustainable and remember thathow our food is grown, stored andtransported has impacts that go farbeyond our dinner plate.


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Starting from the Seventh Five YearPlan (1992-1996) there has beena steady decrease in the funding foragricultural programs. The NationalAgricultural Seed & Plant Programme

was corporatized in an eort to

remove the subsidy. The gradualunavailability of quality seeds andplanting materials compelled thefarmers to maintain their own seeds.On numerous occasions when the

national productions could not meetthe demands, seeds and seedlingshad to be bought from India.

The Eighth Five Year Plan (1997-2001) saw the establishment ofnew ministries, and most of theengineers concerned with theconstruction and management of theirrigation schemes, were transferredto the Ministry of Works and

Human Settlement (MoWHS) which

deprived agriculture of another veryimportant basic needs-adequateirrigation water.

Despite the drawbacks, there have

been many achievements. Due tothe continued works carried out by

research teams and the extensionto promote production, the averagemaize yield doubled in the last twenty

years. Wheat yields have increasednearly four-fold. Farming has alsobecome more diversiied, being

less dependent on the productionof cereals. The introduction of newhorticultural crops, such as fruits andvegetables have not only enrichedtraditional diets but also providedmany farmers with a new source ofincome especially from increasedexport earnings.

Accessibility has improved withunprecedented number of farmroads constructed during theNinth Five Year Plan (2002-

2006) period. Bhutanese farmersno longer toil in isolation. Insteadthey are able to draw upon asystem of agricultural services

PLANS IN PLACE

through a wide network covering

the whole country, comprising four

agricultural research centres withnumerous branches, more than 186agricultural extension centres, morethan 150 livestock extension centres,

11 seed and plant production farms,four farm machinery centres, andnumerous externally aided areabased development projects. The

services provided penetrate into themost inaccessible and rugged partsof the Kingdom.

The MoAF's Triple Gem Approach

aims to enhance food security byemphasizing three key aspects:

Marketing, Accessibility and

Production (MAP). There has been

a major shift in the Tenth Five Year

Plan (2008-2013) in favour of theRenewable Natural Resources. Theagricultural development plan takes

a commodity approach-rather thanprogram based intervention. TheMoAF has invested in technologies,infrastructure, and experiencedpersonnel. Previously, lack of clear

cooperation has been identiied

as one of the main weaknesses of

the past development approaches.However this time all the relevant

agencies and stakeholders are

being organized into integrated

groups to initiate commodity basedinterventions.

Rather than focusing solely onincreasing yield, the maintenanceof the productivity of soil will bea priority to ensure long termsustainability. Although there isincreasing use of chemical fertilizers,

consistent application of farmyard manure is also in place, whichprevents the deterioration of soil.

To ensure long term sustainabilityand reduce dependence on chemicaluse, organic farming is encouragedside by side with the conventionalagriculture. This is made possiblein Bhutan by the practice of mixedfarming. The policy of maintainingminimum 60% forest cover lendsassurance for adequate supplyof compost. However, questions

that will emerge from the eort

to commercialize farming is, how

will the large scale farms be able toproduce suficient organic manures

to maintain the soil structure andfertility?

2010 Rice Harvest at Paro


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Joni Mitchell's song Big Yellow Taxi

was an international hit when itwas released in 1970. Many stillremember the lyrics, Dont it alwaysseem to go that you don't know what

you've got till it's gone?/ Hey farmer,

farmer, put away your DDT/ I dontcare about spots on my apples/ Leave

me the birds and the bees please.

Despite the four decades that havepassed since the songs release,Mitchells lyrics are more relevantthan ever. The dangerous eects

of pesticides and chemicals usedin farming are rapidly gaining theattention of scientists, politiciansand health experts. So which would

you choose spots on your apples ortoxins in your food?

Chemicals and pesticides are usedto ensure that food is available allyear round by protecting crops from

pests, weeds and diseases. They make

your fruits and veggies look pretty.

However, just as these chemicals

are harmful to pests, evidence ismounting regarding the danger theypose to human health, particularly

at the extremely high levels that arebeing used in India.

Of particular concern is the presenceof Persistent Organic Pollutants

(POPS) in our food sources. Dr.

Karma Tenzing from the UNDP

describes POPS as substances that

possess toxic characteristics, arepersistent and are likely to cause

signiicant adverse human health

or environmental eects. Tenzing

says that POPS have been linkedto cancers and tumors, neurobehavioral impairment, immunesystem changes, reproductivedefects, diseases, including anincreased incidence of diabetes.

People can be exposed to chemicals

through residues left on food frompesticide spraying or even chemicalsthat have persisted in soil and wateron farms years after being banned.And you thought you were just

having a healthy snack! So what isbeing done to protect people fromthe harmful eect of chemicals and

pesticides in Bhutan?

In 1984 the Royal Government ofBhutan began to work with the

European Union on Strengtheningplant Protection Services in Bhutan

to control the use of pesticides inBhutan. The import of persistentpesticides to Bhutan was completely

banned in 1987 and there are nopesticides manufactured within thecountry. Subsidies for pesticideshave been phased out since 1990 andfrom 1993-2000 the project worked

on completely phasing out the use

TO SPRAY OR NOT TO SPRAY?

"In 1984, realizing the dangers

of solely depending on pesticides,

the RGoB sought assistance of

European Union to assist the

development of sound plant

protection services."

Dr. Thinley, Specialist (NPPC)By Natasha Akib


15/16


16/16

BO F CUS16 FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY/ Friday, December 10 - 17 2010

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Tenzin Wangdi, HEAD OF OPERATION: Phuntsho Wangmo, EDITOR: Karma Gayleg, DESIGNER: Sushil Mishra,COMMERCIAL GENERAL MANAGER: Gopal S. Mongar, BUSINESS MANAGER: Deeptika Chhetri

Printed and Published by Bhutan Observer Pvt. Ltd., Norzin Lam, Thimphu, Bhutan. Tel: 975-2-334891/92/93 Fax: 975-2-327981,

E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], www.bhutanobserver.bt

MANAGING DIRECTOR: Tenzin Wangdi, HEAD OF OPERATION: Phuntsho Wangmo, EDITOR: Noa Jones, DESIGNER: Sushil Mishra,COMMERCIAL GENERAL MANAGER: Gopal S. Mongar, BUSINESS MANAGER: Deeptika Chhetri, CONTRIBUTOR: Natasha Akib.

Printed and Published by Bhutan Observer Pvt. Ltd., Norzin Lam, Thimphu, Bhutan. Tel: 975-2-334891/92/93 Fax: 975-2-327981,

E-mails: [email protected], [email protected], www.bhutanobserver.bt

A Traditional Bhutanese MealThe ingredients in a traditional Bhutanese meal tend to be locally grown and highly nutritious.

When consumers make informed choices, it is easy to maintain a healthy balance while

supporting local farming, thereby improving Bhutan's food self-suficiency.

OILThe key to keeping all of these

dishes healthy is using goodcooking oil such as mustard,

olive or sunlower. The best oils

are high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Highly reined oils often containtrans fats which raise cholesterol.Pure ghee is also a healthy choice.

SAGPros: Locally grown; good sourceof iber; protein, vitamins A, C, E

& K; high in important minerals

including folate and iron.

Cons: When boiled in salt, likein this dish, it can be very high inSodium.

FRIED CHEESEPros: Good source of calciumand protein

Cons: High in fat and cholesterol

which are ine in small amounts.

DALPros: Dal is a great source ofprotein especially for vegetarianswho consume little or no meat.

Cons: Because of the oil used toprepare dal, it can be quite high

in calories from saturated fat.

RED RICEPros: Higher in iber than white

rice, rich in B vitamins, iron andcalcium. Contains anti-oxidents.

Cons: High in carbohydrates

RADISHPros: Radishes are a goodsource of Magnesium andPhosphorus, and a very good

source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin

C, Folate, Potassium and Copper.

Cons: A large portion of thecalories in this food come fromsugars.

PAK SHA (PORK FAT)Pros: Pork is a good source

of Thiamin,Vitamin C, Niacin,

Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very

good source of Protein, Vitamin

B12, Iron and Selenium.

Cons: Pork is very high in

cholestrol and untrimmed pork

has a lot of saturated fat.

CHILLIThe ultimate Bhutanese ingredientPros: Tasty! and packed with Vitamin

C. Chillis are also great for increasingblood circulation.Cons: Chillis can irritate the stomach

and digestive system

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Bhutan Observer Focus - Food Security