NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 1
FOREWORD
The National Soil Services Center is pleased to publish its Annual Report for 2016-17 highlighting the
achievements made during the year and a few spill over activities not completed owing to its very nature –
longer time required for implementation and equally more time needed to see the results.
Considered the apex agency for providing soil and land related services in the country, the Center
continued to work on the given mandates persistently viz. (1) generation of information on soils through
production of soil maps, reports, databases & establish land capability and suitability class systems for
optimal use of the land; (2) evaluation of inherent fertility status of the soil to form a basis for fertilizer
recommendation & soil amendments – generating scientific data necessary for land users and decision
makers; (3) combating land degradation ensuring protection of the country’s limited land resources – also
to include protection of water sources for drinking, irrigation & hydropower; (4) assessment of soil nutrient
budgets nation-wide aiming further to develop an efficient integrated plant nutrient management system
and (5) exploring & harnessing beneficial microbial resources in soil for agricultural production and promote
environment-friendly plant nutrient sources & soil fertility management techniques.
With the grant of Nu. 11.965 million from Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation approved for the
project “Up-Scaling Sustainable Land Management to Combat Land Degradation and Climate Change”,
from July 2015, the Land Management Unit of the Center continued to focus on the planned activities of
the project covering 10 chiwogs in two selected gewogs (Jarey & Thangrong) of Lhuentse & Mongar
Dzongkhags. The project, scheduled to end by June 2018 is expected to effectively enhance the
productivity of land holding in the two gewogs resulting from improved management practices and crop
diversification; reduced loss of soil with adequate water & nutrients supply from the system due to change
in landforms. On conclusion of the project, some 3,500 acres of degraded forest land and mostly
vulnerable dry land will have been protected and restored through implementation of different sustainable
land management technologies.
As a synthesis of the commendable achievements of the five Units of the Center during the year, the report
attempts to highlight some of the major achievements made through sheer hard work and commitment of
the staff of the Center.
As in the past years, activities comprised both planned and ad hoc ones, all of which were successfully
implemented with the Land Management Campaigns started in 2005 featuring as a regular activity in the
Center’s annual work plan. The campaigns are carried out in different Dzongkhags every year with Land
Management Unit providing technical backstopping and more often than not, staff from other Units of the
Center are required to help when staff resources becomes a constraint. The Soil Survey Unit, in addition to
its other planned & ad-hoc activities, continued to focus on digital mapping exercise in Darla Gewog which
was started from Tsirang in the last fiscal year with the aim to ultimately produce soil maps. The Soil & Plant
Analytical Laboratory continued to provide the analytical services to the clients while Soil Microbiology Unit
focused on the activities related to green manuring and provided the technical support to Organic
Program activities. Similarly the Soil Fertility Unit implemented several fertilizer use trials, training on soil fertility
management in close coordination with the Dzongkhags.
While congratulating the staff of this Center for successfully achieving the set targets through their sheer
hard work & dedication, I would also like to acknowledge the consistent support and assistance of
individuals, agencies/organizations and stakeholders both within and outside the Ministry of Agriculture &
Forests for the success of this Center.
I hope that the information contained in this publication will serve as a useful source of information and
reference to all the readers comprising academics, development workers, researchers, students and all
those advocating rural development and/or sustainable agriculture with special interest in soil and
sustainable land management.
Tashi Delek!!!
Karma Dema Dorji
Program Director
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 2
Contents
FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................... 1 GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS.......................................................................................................... 4
1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 5 ................................................................................................ 11
....................................................................................................................... 22
.............................................................................................................. 22
......................................................................................................................... 44
................................................................................................................ 55
ORGANOGRAM .......................................................................................................................... 54 2.0 LABORATORY SERVICES ...................................................................................................... 59
.............................................................................................. 10
.............................................................................................................. 10
............................................................................................................ 10
........................................................................................................... 10
................................ 10
3.0 SOIL SURVEY AND LAND EVALUATION SERVICES ............................................................. 39 .................................................................................................... 39
........................................................................................... 10
23
................ 24
....................................................................................................... 26
.......................................... 27
........................ 28
........................... 29
.................................................... 29
.......................................................... 29
.......................................................... 29
........................................... 29
................................................................................... 29
................................................................................................... 29
..................................................................... 29
............................................................................................. 29
.......................................................................... 29
4.0 SOIL FERTILITY SERVICES ..................................................................................................... 190 ........................................................................... 40
........................................................................................................ 41
42
........................................................................................................ 43
....................................................................................................... 44
................................................................................................. 45
................................................................................................................. 46
........................................................ 29
............................................................. 29
...................................................... 29
.................................................. 29
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 3
5.0 SOIL MICROBIOLOGY SERVICES ....................................................................................... 46 ........................................................................................ 46
................................ 46
................................................................................................ 47
................................................................................................... 48
....................................................................................................... 49
............................................................................................... 50
.................................... 51
............................................. 52
............................... 53
.............................................................................................. 54
.................................................................................... 54
...................................................... 29
................................................................. 29
................... 29
................................................................................................................ 29
............................................................................ 29
................................................................................................................ 29
................................................................................ 29
.............................................................................. 29
.................................... 29
............................................................................................................... 29
....................................................................................................... 29
............................................................................. 29
................................................................... 29
.............................................................................................. 29
................................................................................ 29
7.0 FINANCIAL PROGRESS ......................................................................................................... 55 ..................................................................................................... 57
................................................................................... 58
.................. 59
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 4
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS
BHUSOD Bhutan Soil Databank
BTFEC Bhutan Trust Fund for Environment Conservation
Ca Calcium
CARLEP Commercial Agriculture and Resilient Livelihoods Enhancement Program
CEC Cation Exchange Capacity
CNR College of Natural Resources, RUB
DAO Dzongkhag (District) Agriculture Officer
DASA Development of Agriculture Support Activities
DGM Department of Geology & Mines, MoEA
DoA Department of Agriculture, MoAF
DoFPS Department of Forests & Park Services, MoAF
DoHS Department of Hydromet Services
EA Extension Agent
EEC European Economic Community
Fe Iron
FEFUT Farmer Extension Fertilizer Use Trial
FRMD Forest Resources Management Division, DoFPS
FYM Farm Yard Manure
GPS Global Positioning System
GYT Gewog Yargye Tshogchhung
GT Gewog Tshogdu
K Potassium
LMU Land Management Unit
LTS Long-Term Studies
masl meters above sea level
Mg Magnesium
Mn Manganese
MoAF Ministry of Agriculture & Forests, RGoB
MoEA Ministry of Economic Affairs, RGoB
N Nitrogen
Na Sodium
NFI National Forest Inventory
NH4 Ammonium
NO3 Nitrate
NSSC National Soil Services Center, DoA
PT Proficiency Testing
RGoB Royal Government of Bhutan
RNR Renewable Natural Resources
RNR-RDC Renewable Natural Resources – Regional Development Center
SFM Soil Fertility Management
SFU Soil Fertility Unit
SLM Sustainable Land Management
SMU Soil Microbiology Unit
SPAL Soil & Plant Analytical Laboratory, NSSC
SSU Soil Survey Unit, NSSC
UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
WEPAL Wageningen Evaluation Programs for Analytical Laboratories
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 5
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Initially started off with the infrastructure development for the laboratory in 1991-92 with
budgetary assistance from the project – Development of Agriculture Support Activities
(DASA) funded by European Economic Community (EEC), the Center, considered the
resource and referral center to provide advisory & other services related to soil & land
management. The Center with the vision “To ensure sustainable agriculture and
national food security through sustainable management of soil and land-based natural
resources” has prescribed to three missions: -
to make soil information readily available on time to make informed
decision
to work towards making Bhutan a Land Degradation Neutral country
to become a centre of excellence in providing soil services
While pursuing the ascribed vision and mission, a set of mandates has been drawn
based on which the five units of the Center aspires to function efficiently viz.
to produce the national soil map of Bhutan for various planning and
monitoring purposes
to promote integrated soil nutrient management for optimal crop
production
to provide analytical services to the farmers and other clients
to combat land degradation through promotion of SLM technologies and
approaches
to build the capacity of RNR staff on soil survey, integrated soil nutrient
management and sustainable land management
To take ownership and shoulder the responsibilities for fulfilling the above mandates, the
Center has following five different Units: -
Soil & Plant Analytical Laboratory (SPAL) – The laboratory caters to requirement for
analytical services on soil, plant, water and farm yard manure (FYM)/compost sample
analysis – analyzing some 2,500 samples each year on an average determining the
inherent nutrient/mineral contents in the samples. In soil samples, the analysis aims to
assess the inherent soil nutrient content to make balanced fertilizer recommendation
and similarly in plant samples, the nutrient content in the plant tissues is determined to
assess if there is any deficiency or toxicity of some nutrients. In water analysis, the
mineral content is looked at to assess the quality especially for irrigation. In fertilizer &
FYM samples, the nutrient content is examined to evaluate their quality in terms of
supplying the plant nutrients.
Soil Fertility Unit (SFU) was established to provide a more comprehensive soil related
services specifically to assess countrywide soil nutrient budget; establish nationwide
fertilizer program; and develop efficient integrated soil-plant nutrient management
system – the mandates to be achieved through on-farm fertilizer trials; long-term studies
on different crops; capacity building of Extension Agents (EAs) and farmers; and
investigation of soils with nutrient problems.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 6
Land Management Unit (LMU) has been established after the World Bank (WB)/Global
Environment Facility (GEF) funded 6-year project on Sustainable Land Management
(SLM) implemented from 2006 to 2012 was terminated in order sustain the initiatives of
the project. The unit is mandated to (1) combat land degradation and bring vulnerable
land under SLM; (2) ensure sustainable agriculture and contribute to national food
security, rural livelihood improvement & environmental protection and (3) fulfill the
requirements of UNCCD as a member country. In the process of fulfilling its mandate,
the unit implements activities comprising scaling up of SLM; promotion of SLM through
campaigns; degraded land investigation; and build capacities of EAs and farmers on
various aspects of SLM with regard to sustainable agriculture, climate change and
biodiversity conservation.
Soil Survey Unit (SSU) – Established after the Bhutan Soil Survey Project (BSSP) funded by
DANIDA from 1996 to 2003, the unit provided the continuity to the services established
by the project to generate soil information in order to optimize the use of land suited for
agriculture, pasture and agro-forestry and ultimately work towards producing the
national soil maps for various agricultural purposes. While seeking to accomplish the
above mandates, the unit carries out soil survey & land evaluation to generate soil
information for making informed decision in terms of planning and monitoring of land-
based natural resources; investigates problematic sites to assess and recommend
appropriate mitigating measures, including change in land use, to address the soil
problems; conducts land feasibility studies to resettle the farmers from marginal land to
productive land under the National Rehabilitation Program; and provides
Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing services for digitizing data
and producing digital soil or other maps.
Soil Microbiology Unit (SMU) – In order to complement the conventional soil fertility
practices, the unit was established in late 1990s to harness the beneficial microbial
resources to ensure sustainable agriculture and develop and promote organic soil
amendments to improve soil fertility. In pursuing the mandates, the unit aims to build an
inventory of beneficial microbes to better understand their dynamics, spatial distribution
and diversity; develop organic soil amendments to improve both soil fertility and soil
quality for improved crop production; develop bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides to
promote organic agriculture in the country; and build capacities of EAs and farmers on
organic soil amendments to improve soil fertility and crop production.
In addition to the mandate of coordinating research and extension activities
associated with soil and land development, the Center is also the resource and referral
centre for all soil and land management related issues. The centre has been
designated as the focal agency for the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) focusing mainly on land degradation. It is also the focal point
for the Asian Soil Partnership (ASP) under the umbrella of the FAO's Global Soil
Partnership (GSP). As the focal point to these international institutions, the Centre had
obligations to fulfill several requirements and obligations during the course of the
reporting period.
In view the focus of 11th Five Year Plan placed on improvement of soil fertility
management (SFM) practices in various crops, characterization of soils, providing
analytical services and improvement and strengthening of soil database/information,
the Center’s efforts and activities have been aligned accordingly. The promotion of
sustainable land management practices, capacity building, and mainstreaming
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 7
Sustainable Land Management (SLM) continued to receive priority as in the past years
and thus, this report, provides the reader a comprehensive picture of achievements of
the Centre with the details on the implementation of the planned and ad-hoc activities
during the year.
While working within the established framework of operation, the Center continued to
provide various soils and land related services through its five units in close coordination
with the Agriculture Research & Development Centers (ARDCs) & the Dzongkhags.
ORGANOGRAM
2.0 LABORATORY SERVICES
2.1 Sample Analyses Output
During the year, SPAL analyzed a total of 2,519 samples, out of which, 2,385 were
samples of soil, 73 plants and 61 water samples exceeding the set target 2,000 to 2,500
samples. All the samples received at the laboratory have been analyzed and the results
delivered to the concerned clients. The analytical data generated by the laboratory
continues to be used extensively for soil fertility management, National Forest Inventory,
Program Director
Soil & Plant Analytical
Laboratory
Specialist (1)
Assistant Chemist (1)
Sr. Lab. Technician (3)
Lab. Assistant (4)
Lab. Attendant (2)
Soil Survey Unit
Dy. Chief SS & LE Officer (1)
Sr. SS & LE Officer (1)
SS & LE Officer (2)
Sr. SS & LE Supervisor (2)
SS & LE Supervisor (1)
GIS Associate (1)
Field Assistant (1)
Soil Fertility Unit
Principal SF & PN Officer (1)
Sr. SF & PN Supervisor (1)
SF & PN Supervisor (2)
Extension Supervisor (2)
Soil Microbiology
Unit
Dy. Chief Lab. Officer (1)
Laboratory Officer (1)
Asstt. Lab. Technician (1)
Land Management
Unit
Principal Land Management
Officer (1)
Sr. Agriculture Officer (1)
Land Management
Officer (1)
Land Management Supervisor (1)
Admin & Accounts
Admin Officer (1)
Admin Assistant (1)
Accounts Assistant (1)
Driver (4)
Messenger (1)
Sweeper (1)
Night Guard (1)
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 8
soil classification and land resource mapping activities. The details of the samples
received by type and clients are detailed in the ensuing sections.
2.1.1 Soil Samples
Of the 2,519 samples received during the period, 95% comprised soil samples. The figure
below (Figure 1) illustrates the quantity of soil samples received Dzongkhag-wise for
analysis.
Figure1: Number of Soil Samples Analyzed – Dzongkhag-wise
The above graph
shows the number of
soil samples submitted
by different
Dzongkhags, and from
the graph, it can be
observed that
Chhukha Dzongkhag
had submitted the
highest number of
samples (873). The
second highest
sample flow
originated from
Thimphu Dzongkhag
(499 samples). With
343 samples
submitted during the year, Sarpang Dzongkhag stands third. The graph also includes 16
samples received from Wageningen Evaluation Programs for Analytical Laboratories
(WEPAL) in The Netherlands on a quarterly basis as a part of proficiency testing program
to improve and maintain the quality of the laboratory.
873
13
132 105
499
17
169
046
343
916 35 31 9 16
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
Dzongkhag Total
Sl. No. Month Sample Receipt
Soil Plant Water
1 July’16 69 4 25
2 August’16 140 8 8
3 September’16 140 49 10
4 October’16 151 0 5
5 November’16 267 0 0
6 December’16 25 4 0
7 January’17 193 0 3
8 February’17 342 0 0
9 March’17 527 4 0
10 April’17 93 0 5
11 May’17 218 0 5
12 June’17 220 4 0
Table 1: Monthly Inflow of Samples for Analysis
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 9
If the inflow of samples is further studied in detail, it reveals that the highest inflow of
samples was in the month of March 2017 with 527 soil samples. The lowest number of soil
samples received was 25 samples in December 2016 as illustrated in Figure 2. Whereas
the highest 49 plant samples were receipted in the month of September and the lowest
of 4 plant samples sent by Wageningen Evaluation Programs for Analytical Laboratories
(WEPAL) – received on a quarterly basis.
2.1.2 Plant Samples
During the reporting period, a total of 73 plant samples were received as shown in
Table 1 representing about 3% of the total samples received and analyzed in the
laboratory. The plant sample inflow was significantly impacted by the staff replacement
issue. The major client was the Forest Resources Management Division (FRMD) for their
National Forest Inventory (NFI) who submitted 63 samples for analysis. The samples
received were analyzed only to determine dry matter and the analysis did not include
other routine parameters owing to human resource constraint. The bulk of the plant
samples were submitted for NFI as they had collected shrubs, herbs, and litter for the
carbon stock assessment of the forests. The other 16 plant samples are a part of
International Plant Exchange (IPE) program sent by Wageningen Evaluation Programs
for Analytical Laboratories (WEPAL) on a quarterly basis. The detailed monthly sample
inflow is shown in below (Table 1): -
Table 2: Monthly Plant Sample Flow
2.1.3 Water Sample
During the fiscal year, 61 water samples were received and analyzed as shown in Table
2. It constituted only 2% of the total samples received during the year for analysis.
Amongst the Dzongkhags, Tsirang had submitted the highest water sample (30) followed
by Samtse with 20 samples and Zhemgang having submitted 8 samples. The water
samples have been mainly submitted and analyzed to check if the water is suitable for
irrigation purpose.
Sl. No.
Dzongkhag Clients Monthly Water Sample Received
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total
1 Samtse B. Pradhan 20 20
2 Tsirang Karma Dema 5 10 5 5 5 30
3 Zhemgang CNR 8 8
4 Thimphu HQRBG 1 1
5 Dagana NPPC 2 2 Total 25 8 10 5 3 5 5 61
Table 3: Monthly Water Samples Flow
Sl. No.
Dzongkhag Clients Monthly Plant Sample Received Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Jun Total
1 Gasa NFI/FRMD 8 8 2 Wangdue NFI/FRMD 49 49 3 WEPAL WAU 4 4 4 4 16 Total 4 8 49 4 4 4 73
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 10
2.2 International Soil Analytical Exchange Program – Report from WEPAL
The laboratory (SPAL) is an active participant of the WEPAL since 1992 which is leading
organization under Wageningen Agriculture University in the Netherlands for
conducting proficiency testing (PT) program in the field of plants, soils, sediments and
organic wastes with 500+ participating laboratories from around the globe.
A set of four samples dispatched quarterly (12 samples in all) by the International Soil
Exchange Program has been received during the period for analysis. The results once
compiled were submitted to WEPAL for evaluation of SPAL’s performance for the
quarter. Fifteen parameters viz. total- Nitrogen, available –K, NH4-N, organic carbon, pH,
phosphorus, CEC and exchangeable bases are included. The specialized statistical
analysis conducted by WEPAL reveals an overall accuracy of 81.8 % – a slight decrease
of 6.27% in comparison to the last reported year.
Similarly, SPAL also received 16 plant samples from the exchange program on a
quarterly basis for the analysis of nine parameters viz. N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and
Na. Because of the staff replacement issue, SPAL this year could not analyze the plant
samples for the international Plant exchange program.
3.0 SOIL SURVEY AND LAND EVALUATION SERVICES
3.1 Digital Soil Surveys
During the fiscal year, a number of soil survey fieldwork was conducted in various
Dzongkhags with the objectives of: -
Collecting the baseline information about genesis and composition of soil
to produce regional and national reconnaissance soil map by 2021. It will
form the basis for planned land use and resource management.
Introducing SSU staff to the procedures and methods for digital soil surveys
covering large areas.
Providing additional data for the development of a national soil
classification, and land evaluation systems.
3.1.1 DSM at Darla and Bongo
The reconnaissance soil survey at Darla and Bongo in Chukha Dzongkhag, which was
initiated in the previous financial year, was continued. The GIS software SAGA and
statistical package – conditioned Latin Hypercube sampling tool was used to generate
survey points using environment covariates viz. elevation, slope aspect, Terrace Wetness
Index (TWI), geology, land use etc. Of 100 generated main sampling points the
collection of field data from 29 points were completed during 2015-16. The survey of 48
points was wrapped up in current fiscal year. The remaining 23 points had to be
discarded since there was no access to the site and/or the target points fell on
complete rock out-crop.
Based on the geomorphic features or landforms, a pair sample was done adjacent to
each main point (within 100m radius) to capture local variation.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 11
Table 4: Sampling Points Details
The targeted area of 7,206.68 ha was
accomplished with the collection of
information from 154 sampling points
including paired samples. The DSM of the
sites at Darla gewog was carried out with the
actual fieldwork following the main sampling
points generated to study the geomorphic
features of the site. A technical soil survey
report describing the major soil types and
their distribution will be compiled. The report
will not be completed until the whole survey
and laboratory analysis report is made
available by laboratory (SPAL).
3.2 Reconnaissance Soil Survey in Chukha, Gasa, Punakha, Wangduephodrang,
Haa and Dagana.
According to the approved work plan of the Unit (SSU) in collaboration with the Land
Development Department (LDD) of Thailand, a target is set to produce a National Soil
Map by 2021. Due to time, capital and resource constraints, mapping of the arable
land is prioritized in the current plan period. The map bearing soil information from
agriculture land would serve as the baseline for the purpose of proper land use
planning and resource management in near future. Furthermore, it can be useful in
farm planning, which includes land uses, cropping system, application of manures and
fertilizers, tillage practices, water management. The work is planned in six phases to be
completed in six years (2015-21). The 3rd phase of the project which was implemented
during the current fiscal year aimed at collecting the soil survey field data from six
Dzongkhags which was successfully completed. LDD assisted in generating geoform
maps and sampling points for the survey areas. A total of 35 survey points in different
locations of the six Dzongkhags were generated as detailed below: -
Sl. No. Dzongkhag No. of Points
1 Chukha 11
2 Gasa 2
3 Punakha 2
4 Wangduephodrang 9
5 Haa 7
6 Dagana 4
Total 35
Table 5: Number of Sampling Points in Six Dzongkhags
Fiscal Year Main Sample
Point
Pair Sample
Point
Total
Points
2015-16 29 29 58
2016-17 48 48 96
Total 77 77 154
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 12
The site information around the points like vegetation, geology, topography, slope,
elevation and surface cover were recorded as these are ultimate physical factors in soil
formation. Profile pit descriptions were done in detail to give the full account of the site.
All the detailed descriptions of the soils were done in purpose-dug pit. The main horizons
of all of the profiles were described in detail and samples collected for chemical
analyses.
Selected footpaths and land use boundary were traversed and logged in as tracks with
the help of GPS unit. Similarly, some infrastructures within the survey sites were also
logged in as waypoints. These data were collected to help locate the site during the
course of map compilation. A technical soil survey report describing the major soil types
and their distribution will be compiled at the end of the project in 2021. Once the
survey, currently being undertaken is completed, a detailed national soil map will be
compiled using a scale of 1:100,000 to give a clear picture of the soil types and their
distribution. Furthermore, a land suitability map will be generated at later stage to
indicate suitable areas for establishing particular cereal and horticulture crops.
All the attributes data will be digitized as layers and stored in digital format in Unit’s GIS
system. The soil data (both physical and chemical) will be punched into BHUSOD
(Bhutan Soil Databank) and will be made available on request.
3.3 Feasibility study for resettlement of farmers for the National Rehabilitation
Project (NRP)
Since soil is a critical component of any successful agricultural venture, NSSC has been
one of the key stakeholders to conduct feasibility study for resettlement of farmers for
the NRP. Unlike NRP, now
User Right Certificate (URC)
program is initiated under
the command of His
Majesty the King with the
objective to identify
appropriate state land to
subsequently allot on URC
to unemployed youths in
the country. The Unit in
association with other
relevant agencies took
part in feasibility study in
four eastern Dzongkhags
(Mongar, Trashigang,
Trashiyangtse and
Pemagatshel). The study covered different parameters viz. soil suitability, drinking water
and irrigation, distance from the nearest road point or settlement, slope, elevation and
aspect for the assessment. Considering all the given parameters, report was produced
and submitted with findings and recommendations. The summary of the report is
presented in Table 6.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 13
Sl.
No. Dzongkhag Gewog Place
Area
(Acres)
Slope
(Degree) Aspect Remarks
1
Mongar
Drepung Kalapang 20 13 N Not feasible
2 Mongar Chompa 9 19 W Feasible
3 Ngatshang
Nya-maed 16 14 NE Feasible
4 Surphey 4 15 N Feasible
Sub-Total 49
5
Trashigang
Yangneer Tshowoongpokto 17 9 N Feasible
6
Kanglung
Marbeng 35 10 N Feasible
7 Dekorwoong 3 11 S Feasible
8 Woong jab 6 19 SW Feasible
Sub-Total 61
9 Trashiyangtse Yangtse Khedep dung 24 18 SW Feasible
10
PemaGatshel Nanong
Geri 6 17 N Feasible
11 Rashoong 8 15 N Feasible
12 Dungme DurungRi 29 3 E Feasible
Sub-Total 43
Grand Total 177
Table 6 – Feasibility Studies – Summary
3.4 Land Conversion
Three batches of land conversion cases (26th, 27th, and 28th) were investigated in the
reporting year. Soil surveyors from the Unit were basically involved in the investigation to
make complete examination from soil’s perspective to see whether the proposed case
can be qualified for conversion (chhuzhing to Kamzhing). In 2016-17, a total of 258 cases
of requests were registered for the conversion from different Dzongkhags. Of that, only
195 cases were merited further investigation. Some cases were not considered for
investigation on grounds of non-compliance to the land conversion guidelines of the
Ministry. Likewise, there were also cases where the owner opted to keep the land
parcel as residential plot.
Out of all cases investigated, only 40 cases qualified for the conversion from soil
perspective. The result is purely based on a set of strict technical criteria that is applied
for the purpose of land conversion and land suitability evaluation assessment. The
technical reports for all the batches of the conversions were compiled and put forward
to the Land Management Committee meeting for approval. The summary of the cases
is presented in the table below (Table 7): -
Sl.
No.
Conversion
Batch No. Dzongkhags
No. of
Cases
Registered
No. of Cases
Investigated
No. of Case
Qualified
for
Conversion
1 26 Paro, Thimphu, Chukha, & Samtse 93 67 12
2 27
Thimphu, Samdrup Jongkhar,
Pemagatshel, Trashiyangtse, Mongar,
Trongsa & Punakha
74 71 19
3 28 Dagana, Tsirang & Wangduephodrang 91 57 9
Total 258 195 40
Table 7: Summary of Land Conversion Cases
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 14
3.5 Investigation of soil/land with problems relating to degradation,
contamination, nutrient mining, flooding etc.
3.5.1 Assessment of Chakalum dumping site under Rubesa Gewog,
Wangduephodrang
The Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project (PHPA I, 1200MW) had acquired the muck
dumping area in Chakalum, Rubesa gewog on lease in 2010 upon the approval of
Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF) and with the consent of land owners. The land
was originally chhuzhing which was left fallow prior to leasing out to PHPA I due to
scarcity of irrigation water. The land, based on the agreement, would have to be
restored by PHPA to functional chhuzhing after the lease period is over.
Thus, as requested by Dzongkhag Administration of Wangduephodrang, soil surveyors
from the Center were involved in conducting technical assessment to see the possibility
of restoring the dumpsite to chhuzhing. Both physical and chemical assessment was
made to gather comprehensive information of the site. The detailed report of the
assessment was compiled and circulated to the stakeholders – also providing
appropriate recommendations.
3.5.2 Land degradation assessment at Wangsisina under Mewang Gewog,
Thimphu
Wangsisina under Mewang gewog of Thimphu Dzongkhag had experienced a
moderately deep seated landslide on 14th October 2016. The landslide has not only
affected the dry land but also pose a serious threat to the Tsham Khang just above the
landslide head. In the aftermath of the event, Mr. Jigme, the land owner, had
approached the Center and requested to depute a technical team to assess the
landslide to come up with appropriate recommendations. Accordingly, a team from
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 15
the Centre was fielded to execute the above task. The assessment was carried out by
the team on 18th and 19th June 2016.
Based on the field observation, the landslide was mainly triggered by incessant rainfall
and lack of proper drainage
system in place. In addition,
other factors such as unstable
geology, erodible soil, steep
slopes, and unsustainable
land management might
have also contributed in the
landslide. The complete
setting of this case of land
degradation was compiled in
a report with appropriate
recommendations to
mitigate the problem which
was circulated to all
concerned for their
information and necessary
follow up actions if required.
3.6 Investigation of problem soil in Kamzhing and orchards
3.6.1 Ramthangka apple orchard under Tsento gewog, Paro Dzongkhag
This Center was called upon to investigate the orchard soils and make appropriate
recommendations to optimize the use of the orchard land based on findings.
Accordingly, field investigation was carried out from 23rd April to 10th May 2017.
It was observed that the orchard has a soil drainage problem in some pockets probably
due to presence of ground water. To overcome the problem, cut off ditches cold be
installed. It was further observed that the tree basins were not prepared according to
the size of the tree canopy which would most probably hinder the uptake of fertilizers
applied. The top working of the trees (pruning) are also not done well to maintain the
canopy of trees for optimum fruiting. The preliminary report and recommendations
have been compiled.
3.6.2 Investigation of citrus tree at Dechencholing Palace
The Centre received instructions to investigate the orchard soils and undertake a study
on poor citrus performance at Dechencholing palace.
Accordingly, the Centre led a team to conduct a day long field visit to the site on 7th
February 2017. Several general observations on the site were made to see the overall
health of the tree growth, possible nutrient deficiency, disease, and overall
management. Composite soil samples were taken to assess fertility of the site. A soil
description was made to obtain a general indication of the soils. Several photographs
were taken to record the appearance of the trees in question.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 16
After the detailed field observation and soil investigation, the team concluded that the
high altitude is the limiting factor for the growth of citrus in the area as there was no
problem with inherent soil fertility except for very low available K content in the top soil.
Based on the findings, it was recommended to construct green house to curb the
altitude adaptability problem and apply Muriate of Potash (MoP) – 170g to 255g for
each non-bearing tree and 425g to 595g for the bearing ones.
The detail report was produced for initiating actions to rejuvenate the declining citrus
trees.
3.7 Cartographic composition of maps, spatial analysis & printing
The operational GIS Unit of the Centre has, thus far prepared base maps, location
maps, land unit maps, soil maps, land suitability maps, soil series maps for most of the
soil surveys done in this fiscal year depending on the scale of the surveyed area.
Following are some of services delivered by the GIS Unit during the year: -
In coordination with FRMD, digitized the farm road of Sarpang Dzongkhag for
forest inventory updation
Conducted land and forest cover updation with FRMD
Prepared base maps for six eastern Dzongkhags for Commercial Agriculture and
Resilient Livelihoods Enhancement Programme (CARLEP)
Prepared base map and printed for all gewogs of Zhemgang Dzongkhag for Land
Management Campaign
Base map printed with Cadastral and Land use data
Prepared base map of Wangphu gewog to carryout soil survey
Digitized Ramthangka orchard map at Paro
Prepared covariate maps to prepare soil carbon map of Bhutan (Mean
temperature and precipitation, slope, land use and land cover map and
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)
3.8 Technical Guidance and Training
3.8.1 Training of Trainers (ToT)
The in-service training (TOT) on Soil and Land
Management for Extension Agents of the
Dzongkhags was organized by the Center at
Paro and Wangdue in March and April
respectively with the objective to educate
and train the trainers on various aspects of
soil and land management. The program
included important topics like soil
characterization, land evaluation, soil
sampling, and land management
technology and integrated soil fertility
management. All the technical units of the
Centre participated and contributed with
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 17
their presentation and practical training to the participating extension agents.
The training with goal set to refresh old and give new trainers the background
knowledge, skills and practical experience on soil and land management who would
then train our farming communities for sustainable crop production.
The SSU covered the important topics like soil characterization and land evaluation.
While imparting the training, the following subjects were covered in detail
encompassing both theory and practical aspects.
Soil properties
Agronomic potential of soil
Soil survey and sampling techniques
Himalayan geology and geomorphology
Basics on crop criteria
Feasibility study
At the end of the training, feedbacks were sought from all the participants using a set
of questionnaire which will be used as reference for improvement of such trainings in
future.
3.8.2 Technical guidance and training of Interns
The technical guidance and training was provided to interns who opted to do their
internship at this Centre as a part of the requirement of their institute and university.
During their attachment, they were introduced to various field of knowledge basically
related to soil survey. The program followed comprised the following: -
Brief introduction on the objectives and mandate of Soil Survey Unit (SSU)
Brief introduction to soil survey and mapping
Hands on training on use of soil survey equipments viz. GPS, Compass, Clinometer
and Soil Auger including practical work on local transect & auger description
Brief presentation on the use of GIS
Hands on training on the use of GPS and GIS for mapping
Presentation on soil monolith mounting techniques
Visit to soil museum
Besides, the soil surveyors of the Unit rendered their assistance to compile the
information for the final report on attachment to be submitted to their respective
colleges.
A total of nine interns were hosted at this Center during the year as shown in the table
(Table 8) below: -
Sl. No. No. of Interns College Field of Study
1 1 Uttrakhand Technical University, India Agriculture
2 2 Baba Farid Institute of Technology, India Agriculture
3 4 College of Natural Resources, Lobesa Agriculture
4 2 ARDC, Wengkhar Designated Regional
(ADRC) Soil Focal Staff
Table 8: Interns/attachments during the year
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 18
3.9 Training and Workshops
3.9.1 Digital Soil Organic Carbon Mapping
Two surveyors from SSU participated in Digital Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)
mapping workshop for 5 days (24-28 April 2017) at Bangkok. The workshop was
organized by Global Soil Partnership (GSP), Soil and Fertilizer Society of Thailand,
Land Development Department of Thailand (LDD) with objective to: -
Introduce participant to the development of the Asia Soil Information
System and the concept of soil legacy data and its use in Digital Soil
Mapping.
Build the capacity of the participating countries to develop SOC maps on
their own initiative in the near future which would consequently contribute
in compiling Global SOC.
With a week of tight schedule for the workshop, the participants were
introduced to various topics and provided hands on training to handle different
GIS software. The themes that were included in workshop were: -
Spatial modeling & setting and setting-up of the software environment
Soil property mapping/modeling
SOC Modeling
Regression krigging
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 19
The workshop was very relevant and useful – providing lots of information on
SOC and its significance globally. Realizing its importance, the knowledge about
SOC baselines and changes, and the detection of vulnerable hot spots for SOC
losses and gains under climate change and changed land management was
found crucial but is unfortunately limited as of now. Thus, to come up with
authentic SOC data, the concept builds on official national data sets,
therefore, a bottom-up (country-driven) approach is pursued which offers a new
quality to the future global assessment of soil indicators.
Thus, the workshop focused on capacity development of the participating
countries to develop their own country’s SOC maps. The theoretical and
practical sessions of the workshop introduced the participants to different digital
soil mapping techniques to collect data, analyze, validate, report, monitor and
integrate the SOC information. At the end of workshop, all participants were
made confident enough to handle the activities of developing SOC map and
committed to submit the output maps on given deadline.
As committed, the task to develop SOC map of Bhutan is on track. The data
compilation, and spline function has been completed successfully. The
generation of various covariates to feed the database in for SOC modeling is
also nearing completion. With confident pace of development, the product is
expected to be ready within the deadline of 31st August 2017.
4.0 SOIL FERTILITY SERVICES
4.1 Integrated Plant Nutrient Management Technologies (IPNM) on assorted
crops and fruit trees
4.1.1 IPNM on Paddy
Soil fertility management is an important part of rice production in Bhutan.
Despite the introduction of many high yielding rice varieties and new/improved
cropping sequences, the soil fertility management in paddy fields still remains
largely traditional – predominantly depending on the use of animal manure
through either tethering of animals in fields or use of Farm Yard Manure (FYM).
The use of chemical fertilizers especially in the southern region is negligible and
those farmers who use fertilizers use mostly urea only resulting in imbalance in the
nutrients supply. The inadequate nutrient supplement does not replenish
nutrients removed by the crops and thus, the low productivity of rice is directly
related to the poor soil fertility status of the soil.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 20
Figure 7: Paddy field inspection and measurements
In view of such a scenario in the country and to improve rice productivity per
unit area, the Centre conducted numerous trials such as farmers’ extension
fertilizer use trials (FEFUT) in paddy across the country. Based on the encouraging
results in the past, the Centre up scaled the activities from FEFUT trials covering
small area to fertilizer promotion on much larger scale under the strategy of
Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM).
Figure 8: Fertilizer distribution (left) and Paddy growth with fertilizer applied
During the fiscal year, four Dzongkhags covering an area of 54.52 acre (Table 1)
were brought under IPNM technologies through use of inorganic and organic
manures. Table 9: Dzongkhag-wise paddy acreage under IPNM
Dzongkhag Gewog Area (acre)
Samtse Yoseltse 5.52
Sarpang Gakiling 25.00
Paro Shaba 15.00
Wangduephodrang Thetsho 9.00
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 21
The farmers were advised to adopt the following recommended fertilizer rates
(Table 2). The fertilizer rates were based on past FEFUT trial results and “Guide to
Fertilizer Recommendations for Major Crops - Version 2”.
Table 10: Fertilizer Application Rate Recommended for Dzongkhags
Dzongkhag Fertilizer (Kg)
Nutrient
Ratio
Suphala Urea SSP MoP
Samtse 75.00 26.00 25.00 - 24:16:12
Sarpang 50.00 47.00 25.00 - 30:12:8
Paro 50.00 52.20 50.00 - 32:16:8
Wangduephodrang - 60.00 100.00 27 28:16:16
Prior to fertilizer application farmers were given training on soil fertility, IPNM
technologies and fertilizer application methodology.
Figure 9: Mid-season monitoring
This activity continues into the next financial year and the crop cut results and
report will be published in the following year.
4.1.2 IPNM on Potato
Although farmers use both organic especially FYM and in-organic fertilizers in
potato production, there is a need for in-depth study to apply IPNM practices as
most farmers apply more fertilizers than required. Farmers are of the opinion that
applying more fertilizers will yield more. Therefore, the Centre initiated IPNM on
potatoes keeping the following objectives in view: -
- to demonstrate to farmers the difference in crop yields between the
recommended fertilizer application/soil fertility management and farmers’
practices
- study the soil health between test plots and farmers plots
.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 22
Figure 10: Line drawing for seed & fertilizer application
Prior to potato plantation, farmers’ training on IPNM in potato was conducted to
create awareness on IPNM and its benefits amongst the farmers as done in
Phobjikha. The IPNM training was carried out from Feb-March 2017. A ten acre
plot was selected, the field was measured using GPS, soil sampling prior to start
of the trial was done to study the inherent soil nutrient content. The fertilizers
were distributed to the farmers and the fertilizer application was done under our
staff’s close supervision. The fertilizer rate recommended for IPNM in potato is
24:24:12 kg/ac.
Figure 11: Applying Fertilizer (Left) and Furrowing (Right)
The activity is still ongoing and results for crop cuts etc. will only be published in
next annual report.
4.1.3 IPNM on Citrus
Citrus is ranked on top amongst the agricultural export commodities of Bhutan both in
terms of volume and value. However, citrus cultivation practices still remain traditional
with very low yield and inferior fruit quality. Appropriate nutrient management is crucial
to optimize yield and production. Sound fertilizer recommendation follows right
fertilization rate, nutrient content, and correct application timing. Integrated plant
nutrient management recommends the use of farm yard manure (FYM) and fertilizers to
optimize yield and sustain soil health. However, from the long term studies conducted
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 23
by this Unit in Tsirang, Dagana and Sarpang, we have noted that most farmers use only
FYM and no other mineral fertilizers are applied as nutrient supplements.
Considering the importance of proper nutrient management for increasing the yield,
IPNM trial on citrus was carried out at Dekiling and Sershong gewog in Sarpang
Dzongkhag. In total 220 fruit bearing trees belonging to 5 farmers (Table 1) were selected
for the trial. The orchards were then divided into two halves with 110 trees under trial
and other half to be managed by farmers following their own practice. This was done
to compare the yield and soil nutrient status between recommended practice and
farmers’ practice. The tree age ranged from 10-12 years.
Table 11: List of the farmers for Citrus IPNM
Sl. No. Name of test
farmers Gewog
Number of trees
Recommended Practice Farmer's Practice
1 Dechen Pelden Dekiling 50 50
2 Pema Tshewang Sershong 15 15
3 Chimi Zangmo Sershong 15 15
4 Zomba Lhamo Sershong 15 15
5 Tachu Sershong 15 15
Figure 12: Preparing Fertilizer for Application (Left); Soil Sampling (Right) Prior to fertilizer application, farmers had carried out other fruit plant management
activities. The recommended rate of fertilizer used was 330:315:425 g/tree of NPK (fruit
bearing trees only). The farmers were trained on fertigation technique and were
instructed to apply fertilizers only under technical supervision from agriculture staff.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 24
Figure 13: Basal Dose Application (Left) and Tree Tagging (RP & FP) Since the activity continues in the next year, the results will only be known at a later
stage.
4.1.4 IPNM on Onion
Since 2016 onwards, the Centre initiated IPNM trials on different vegetables on the
farmer’s field. As strongly suggested by National Vegetable Coordinator, onion was
taken up for trial. Two sites were identified at Singay gewog under Sarpang Dzongkhag
and Tshendagang gewog under Dagana Dzongkhag.
Figure 14: Weak Seedlings (Left); Healthy Seedlings (Right) The trial was initiated from December 2016 and concluded in May 2017 with activities
comprising such as pre-trial soil sampling, transplanting, fertilizer distribution &
application, mid monitoring, harvesting and crop-cut to post-trial soil sampling.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 25
Figure 15: Pre-Trial Soil Sampling
Figure 16: Onion Seedling Transplantation
The crop cut results are presented in the graph below: -
Figure 17: Crop Cut Results The crop cut (for fresh onions) was carried out on an area of 2 x 3 meters. The crop cut
results of Dagana is encouraging with 16.66% increase in the yield with fertilizer
application. However, no significant increase in the yield was observed at the trial site in
Sarpang. This could be attributed to late transplanting of seedlings as the farmers had
to raise nursery for the second time owing to high seedling mortality at nursery stage
initially.
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Sarpang
Dagana
Sarpang Dagana
Without NPK 1193 4579
With NPK 1293.33 5342
Crop Cut (Kg/Acre)
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 26
Figure 18: Onion Growth – Without NPK (Left) and With NPK (Right) In order to authenticate the results obtained during year, the trials will be continued in
the next season as well.
4.1.5 IPNM on Cardamom
The large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) is one of the major export
commodities of our farmers. Despite its huge demand in market, very few studies have
been conducted pertaining to IPNM on cardamom. Since most of the farmers – both
illiterate and educated are in cardamom production, there is an urgent need to
develop IPNM packages for cardamom and thus, the Centre initiated IPNM trials on
cardamom from 2016-17.
The main objective of this trial is to determine the response to NPK inorganic fertilizer
and farmyard manure (FYM) application in order to maximize the yield and improve the
quality of the crop.
Figure 19: Trial frame making (left); trial field layout (right)
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 27
Two sites – one in Darla gewog of Chukha Dzongkhag and the other in Tsholingkhar gewog
of Tsirang Dzongkhag had been selected. The fields were measured using GPS and pre-
trial soil sampling was done to study the inherent soil nutrient content. Two-year old
seedlings were selected for the trial. The recommended rate of fertilizers was 16:16:32
kg/acre (NPK) for two years old seedling under rain-fed areas. The fertilizer was applied
in a circular band of 15 cm width, leaving 30 cm from the plant base and mixed
thoroughly with top 5-7 cm of the surface soil. The fertigation was done under the
supervision of Center’s staff.
Figure 20: Basal fertilizer dose application – Darla (left) & Tsholingkhar (right) Since the trial is a long-term undertaking, reporting will be done at the end of the trial.
4.2 Trainings
4.2.1 Training on Integrated Plant Nutrient Management
Numerous trainings on IPNM were conducted to increase awareness on integrated
plant nutrient management through the use of organic and inorganic fertilizer
practices. Farmers were made sensitized on concept, importance and benefits of IPNM.
Other topics included soil fertility management, composting, vermi-composting,
biological nitrogen fixation and impact of fertilizer demonstration trials. The presentation
was done using both power points and visual aids. An interactive discussion on the
traditional SFM practices followed by the farmers’ own soil management practices
were also discussed. In total 339 farmers were trained besides Dzongkhag agriculture
staffs and village local leaders. The details of the training are presented in Table 12
below: -
Table 12: Farmers trained on IPNM
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 28
4.2.2 In-service Training on Soil and Land Management
The soil sustains most living organisms with soil considered as the ultimate source of
mineral nutrients. Good management of soils ensures that mineral elements do not
become deficient or toxic to plants, and that appropriate mineral elements enter the
food chain. Soil management is important, both directly and indirectly, for crop
productivity, environmental sustainability, and human health. Because of the projected
increase in population and the consequent necessity for the intensification of food
production, the management of soils becomes increasingly important in the years to
come.
Soil is a resource whose importance has been ignored for a very long time with serious
implications. Soil is being washed away or contaminated faster than it is being
replenished and this has seriously impacted food production.
Soil and land management encompasses standards in the field of soil quality, soil
pollution and soil as a resource, including its protection, classification, definition of its
terms, sampling of soils, measurements and reporting of soil characteristics. It focuses on
soils in situ and soil materials intended for reuse in or on soils.
Considering the importance of soil and land management, the Centre organized 10
days in-service training on Soil and Land management at Paro and Wangdue.
The ultimate goal of the training is to refresh old and give new trainers the background
knowledge, skills and practical experience on soil and land management who then
trains our farming communities for sustainable crop production.
The training was conducted with the sole objective of educating and training the
trainers on various aspects of soil and land management including soil characterization,
land evaluation, soil sampling, land management technology and soil fertility
management. On completion of TOT and mentoring process, trainer candidates should
be able to guide and train our farming communities on (1) importance and use of
organic soil amendments, simple and effective composting technology, soil fertility
management through use of different green manuring crops; (2) soil sampling
technique with regard to different landscape/crops, sample submission procedure; and
(3) understanding soil fertility concepts and factors that make a soil fertile and
productive, understanding how to promote Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM)
to farmers and other stakeholders, identifying fertilizer deficiency symptoms and using
corrective measures, calculating fertilizer rates so that our farmers use correct amount
of fertilizers.
Initially 20 Extension officials (10 from each Dzongkhag) from Thimphu and Paro
Dzongkhag were invited for the ToT. However there were additional participants from
Wangdue, Royal Project in Punakha, RNR soil focal persons and ARDC Bajo officials also
attended in the 5 days in-service training.
This intensive In-service training focused on measuring and improving soil health through
holistic and adaptive soil management. The target audience was professionals working
directly with our farming communities related to agricultural or urban soil management
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 29
issues. Participants learned about soil health principles, soil result analysis, soil result
interpretation and reporting, common and simple land management technologies,
land degradation types, causes and impacts, soil characterization, agronomic
potential of land, soil properties and Himalayan geology and geomorphology from
resource persons.
4.3 Capacity Building – Training, Meeting & Study Visit
Tashi Uden participated at Regional level expert consultation meeting on Best
practices of IPNS in the region to identify practices that can be replicated and also
identify challenges and areas for future work on IPNM. The meeting was held at
Dhaka from 9-10th April 2017.
Tshering Pem participated training Program on Agriculture Project Management at
Coonor, Tamil Nadu. India from 1st February – 15th March, 2017. The main objective
of the training was to study the agriculture project management system, enhancing
production with minimum inputs.
Suraj Chhetri participated in study tour in India to study different organic fertilizers
and pesticides and explore the possibility of importing organic fertilizers and
pesticides to Bhutan.
4.4 Soil Data Interpretation and Fertilizer Recommendation
As part of its mandate, the SFU continued to provide the service of interpreting soil
laboratory analytical data for all stakeholders, based on which appropriate fertilizer
applications were recommended.
5.0 SOIL MICROBIOLOGY SERVICES
The Soil Microbiology Unit with one of its three staff fully devoted to responsibilities at the
laboratory (SPAL), the other two staff focused on activities related to soil fertility, organic
program & land management.
6.1 Monitoring & Evaluation of SLM Activities at Jarey Gewog, Lhuentse
According to the work plan for the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environment Conservation
(BTFEC) funded project for the fiscal year, this activity was incorporated with the
following objectives: -
to monitor the SLM progress in selected chiwogs
to conduct monitoring and evaluation exercises
to distribute the farm tools (crowbar) to the Jarey gewog SLM adopters
In the last fiscal year, simple farm tools consisting of spade and pickaxe each was
distributed to the SLM adopters comprising 144 households (HHs) of Jarey gewog. During
the current year, a crowbar and hammer each was to be provided. However, owing to
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 30
limited budget, hammer could not be supplied. Crowbars for the supply was procured
based on the Mongar Dzongkhag have approved quoted rates for the fiscal year. A
private single cabin Bolero was hired from Mongar for delivering them to Jarey gewog
Centre. Owing to the incessant rainfall in last few weeks, most of the roads leading to
the chiwogs were blocked in most of the places. The tools for the Yabi Zangkhar chiwog
was reached to the point of block point at Jarey Gompa hiring a private Bolero and for
the rest of the chiwogs, tools were distributed from the gewog centers. Farmers were
satisfied with the tool distributed (29mm –TATA crowbars). Farmers planned to start the
stone bunding activity after completion of crop harvest. At the time of the visit, both the
stone bunds and grass hedgerows were not visible because of the standing crop of
maize in fields.
Figure 21: Loading crowbars Figure 22: Farmers with distributed crowbar
6.1.1 Landslide stabilization During the past financial year, landslide stabilization works were carried out at Yumchey
and at Nganey based on the approved work plan with funds from BTFEC. Bamboos,
Erythrina species, broom grass, Napier slips and hard wood cuttings were planted in the
landslide sites where eight houses had been damaged in Yumchey. According to the
farmers, all the plantations were thriving well and the site appeared to be stabilizing.
However, the rainfall for
a week in October 2016
washed all the planted
material to the stream
enlarging the landslide
area further and the
stabilization works
appears to be not
possible until gabion
walls are constructed.
The steep slope of the
landslide area even
restricts the movement
of the farmers and
cattle.
The landslide
stabilization work carried out at Nganey chiwog is also found in poor status with most of
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 31
the seedlings and cuttings planted at the site not surviving except few Jatropha
cuttings. Farmers attribute the poor survival rate of the plants and cuttings to the fact
that plantation work was carried out during sunny days and extreme heat with little or
no rain. Furthermore, small rills and gullies have started appearing around the site and
could trigger landslides in near future if not controlled at the initial stage. Therefore,
additional plantation work is urgently required in the planting season.
6.1.2 Contour stone bunds
At the time of the field visit, the fields were still covered by maize standing crops and
stumps and thus, stone
bunds were not clearly
visible. Farmers would
resume the stone
activities right after the
harvest of paddy and
maize crops. For the
majority of farmers, the
contour line marking
was done last year and
only need to pile the
stone on the existing line
this year. With the given
tools, farmers assured
that they will leave no
stone unturned in their
efforts to implement the
planned SLM activities in
the area. Farmers were
informed that the
payment of cash
incentives will only be made in March 2017 after the stone bund construction is
completed and prior to sowing of maize in February –March 2017. Farmers who opted
not to adopt SLM initially (during the Chiwog Planning Exercise during 2015-16) were
informed of the availability of cash incentives to them if bunds were constructed.
However, farm tools cannot be supplied to the new SLM adopters due to budget
constraints.
6.1.3 Napier Hedgerows
Amongst the SLM
interventions adopted
at the gewog,
establishment of
hedgerows using Napier
grass slip was a
common feature in the
gewog except for Yabi &
Zangkhar chiwogs.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 32
Hedges could be seen throughout the chiwogs fields were protected from cattle
because of the standing crop of maize in the fields. However, once the maize is
harvested, farmers will let their cattle to graze freely in the maize fields – cattle causing
damage to the hedges in the absence of other foraging materials in the fields. The
hedges will also be trampled and damaged to some extent during digging and
ploughing of the fields. Farmers revealed that they have harvested slips 2-3 times in this
planting season and realizing the economic benefits; they have been encouraged to
up-scale in the next season. Some farmers have saved the hedges for the extraction of
slips in the next season for sale to the project as was done last year. As farmers in
Yabi/Zangkhar chiwog were occupied with electric fencing and major stone bund
establishment, hedgerow promotion could be not carried out during 2015-16. As
requested by Tshogpa during the GYT session, the hedgerow establishment to the
following year. Hence, instead of full scale activity, a small demonstration plot was
established at Zangkhar village to check the survival rate and performance. To-date
the owner of the plot has harvested twice and the hedges are intact and thriving well.
However, besides browsing and trampling by cattle in winter months, the greatest fear
is that the hedges could be damaged by frost. If the hedge survives in winter, farmers
will be adopting the Napier hedgerows establishment in this coming summer season
throughout the chiwog.
It has been generally observed that: -
Communities of Jarey Gewog are experiencing the effects of global climate
change. Dry spell over mid-May to June end had resulted in poor yield in maize
and low survival rates of planted seedling and cuttings in landslide stabilization
sites. The incessant rain fall in early October had resulted in landslips in Yumchey,
road blocks in all chiwogs and the formation of gullies along the farm roads
throughout the region.
Survival rates of Napier hedgerows were satisfactory and the bunds formations
are visible especially in the SLM sites established in year 2013-14.
Napier grasses were harvested 2-4 times in a year depending on the sites
(altitude & soil fertility).
Farmers were even able to generate cash income from the sale of Napier slips
and are coming forward to assure the Napier slip supply in the coming season.
Farmers sincerely appreciated the support on supply of simple farm tools and the
incentives provided in stone bund development.
Generally throughout the gewog, the soil depth is poor and shallow and is very
much vulnerable to soil erosion and landslips.
The non-SLM adopters are regretting for not being able to participate in 2015-16
SLM planning exercises and are not eligible for farm tools support.
Evidence of successful SLM interventions can be seen throughout the chiwogs
(contour stone bunds and Napier grass hedgerows).
Labour shortages and defunct irrigation facilities have resulted in fallowing of
paddy fields especially in Nganey and Ladrong chiwogs.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 33
Figure 26: Fallow terraced land at Nganey
6.2 Study Visit to Thailand
With the financial support from Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation
(BTFEC), the Centre organized a week-long study visit to Land Development
Department (LDD) in Bangkok for a 14-member delegation comprising Gups,
Administrative Officers, EAs based at the two gewogs – Jarey under Lhuentse
Dzongkhag and Thangrong under Mongar Dzongkhag (both pilot gewogs for the BTFEC
funded project on SLM). The delegation also included technical staff from the Center
directly associated with the implementation of the project. The objectives of sending
the group was to: -
expose the members of the group on various SLM technologies that are being
employed to combat land degradation in Thailand,
share Bhutan’s experiences and lessons on addressing land degradation problems
with the Thai counterparts,
help the members gain additional knowledge and experiences, and build
confidence to assist in implementing the project activities effectively & efficiently,
The members of the group, with diverse backgrounds, claimed the visit to be “an eye-
opening experience” and recommends the availability of up to-date information on
soil, land and land use, and other natural resources readily for working towards
sustained use of natural resources; realizing the cost of land degradation through the
visit to Khao Cha-Ngum Royal Study Centre, endorses the benefits of SLM technologies;
advocates the use of appropriate farming and SLM technologies as an answer to
addressing socio-economic issues such as, food insecurity and rural poverty, rural-urban
migration, youth related problems; and advocates the adoption of adaptive
agriculture practices as a key answer to build resilience for climate change
discouraging mono-cropping amongst the farmers.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 34
6.3 Terracing in Zaminaand and Bachu Chiwogs under Khatoed Gewog in Gasa
With the Dzongkhag Agriculture office in Gasa seeking technical support to carry out
terracing in Zaminaand and Bachu chiwogs under Khatoed gewog, the Centre was
instructed by the Department to render technical support. Accordingly, a team from
Land Management Unit (LMU) visited the identified fields to carry out feasibility study
and provide practical guidance.
Seven fields/areas belonging to seven households had been identified and registered
to be terraced. A meeting was convened by the Assistant Dzongkhag Agriculture Officer
(ADAO) and Gewog Agriculture Extension Officer (GAEO) in the presence of Gup, NSSC
staff and the registered farmers in order to draw an agreement to prevent disputes that
may arise in future. In the midst of the discussions, farmers pointed out that they were
encouraged by the Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture & Forests to opt for terracing by
Lyonpo Yeshi Dorji, the Minister for Agriculture and Forest, for which the Dzongkhag
Agriculture Office and Gewog Administration proceeded further to hire machines and
other necessities. The farmers despite of having limited knowledge about land
terracing, shared their keen interest to convert some part of their land to terraces so
that they can grow paddy. During the meeting, NSSC team’s presence during actual
terracing was highlighted to ensuring smooth and desired quality of the work.
Accompanied by the GAEO and chiwog Tshogpa, the NSSC team visited all the
identified fields. The identified fields are located at an altitude range of 2,251 to 2,459
masl with slope gradient ranging from 1° to 24°.
Different landform segments of the field were determined by considering its
topographic features where terracing was planned. After delineating the different
segments, the slope gradient (in degrees) of the segments was measured by using a
clinometer followed by setting up of recommended contour intervals.
Figure 27: Making an "A" frame… Figure 28: Demarcating contours…
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 35
Farmers, on their own initiative had tested paddy production on a small patch of land
and found that yield was reasonable. However, crop loss due to birds feeding on the
paddy was high considering the small area of cultivation. Therefore, they reasoned that
if cultivated on wider area, the crop loss would be minimized and the dependence on
rice import would also be reduced to some extent.
The Dzongkhag Agriculture Office has agreed to apprise Hon’ble Lyonpo for securing the
required fund and also arrange allotment of an earth moving machine for terracing.
NSSC, as agreed is ever ready to provide the technical assistance when called upon.
6.4 Participation in Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon – Unlocking the
potential of SOC in mitigating and adapting climate change
Soil has the largest terrestrial carbon pool and plays a key role in the global carbon
cycle. Globally, the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks amount to an estimated 1,500 ±
230 GtC in the first meter of soil, which is nearly twice as much as atmospheric carbon
(828 GtC as CO2). After the burning of fossil fuels, land use and land cover change is the
largest anthropogenic source of carbon into the atmosphere and within agriculture,
soils have been a global net source of GHGs. SOC stocks in the upper soil layers (800
GtC in 0-40 cm) are especially sensitive and responsive to such changes in land use
and management, which provides an opportunity to influence the amount of CO2 in
the atmosphere. This can be achieved by maintaining existing soil carbon stocks (of
particular importance in soils with high SOC content), or by soil carbon sequestration.
However, large-scale baseline and trend assessments of SOC are still inaccurate and
many of the factors influencing SOC quality and quantity in different parts of the world,
as affected by climate change and measures to enhance SOC, are insufficiently
investigated and well understood. Further, reporting on the status and trends of SOC
based on measurements is a challenging task which needs to be tackled through
harmonized methodologies, the use of standardized sampling and modeling
techniques, harnessing innovative solutions to data collection and sharing, and
considering different field practices implemented by farmers at different scales.
Initiatives aimed at improving information on the status of SOC can constitute a unique
option to reinforce the current IPCC assessments and for reporting to the United Nations
Figure 30: Bushy land to be terraced… Figure 29: Setting contour intervals…
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 36
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and SDG 15.3.
In this context, the FAO along with other co-organizers organized a 3 day Global
Symposium on SOC at the FAO Head Office in Rome from 21st to 23rd March 2017 to
share new knowledge and information and also to deliberate on challenges faced
currently with regard to SOC mapping, verification and reporting (MRV). As such, the
Symposium specifically focused on the following three major themes: i) measuring,
mapping and reporting changes in SOC, ii) fostering SOC sequestration for climate
change adaptation and mitigation and land degradation neutrality, and iii)
maintaining/restoring SOC stocks in vulnerable hotspots. The three-day Global
Symposium on SOC was attended by close to 500 scientists from around the world.
Bhutan was represented at the symposium by the Program Director and Principal Land
Management Officer of the Centre.
The overall aim of the symposium was to review the role of soils and SOC in relation to
climate change, sustainable development, and building scientific evidence that could
be assessed in the regular IPCC Assessment Reports, starting with the AR6 report and
also for reporting to UNFCCC, UNCCD and on the SDGs.
The specific objectives of the symposium were to:
1. Examine the current scientific and technical understanding of the role of soils
and SOC in the climate system for carbon sequestration and climate
adaptation;
2. Review the potential and limitations of SOC management to contribute to
climate change mitigation and adaptation, addressing land degradation, and
meeting the sustainable development goals;
3. Review current knowledge on land and soil management impacts on SOC (and
SOC stabilization and destabilization mechanisms), including identification of
practices that increase SOC;
4. Enable and strengthen the provision of knowledge on SOC measurement,
modeling and management, and the inter-linkages with land degradation and
climate change to inform upcoming IPCC assessment reports and reports to
initiatives addressing land degradation;
5. Identify knowledge gaps and explore opportunities for collaborative research;
6. Identify policy options for relevant soil and SOC priorities to encourage the
adoption of practices that enhance SOC sequestration and stabilization under
national climate change agendas.
The main output of the symposium was the production of the scientific document
highlighting the role of soils and SOC management in meeting the climate change and
sustainable development agendas that could be assessed by IPCC in its regular reports,
starting with SR2, the refinement of the inventory guidelines, and AR6, as well as
reporting to UNFCCC, UNCCD and the SDGs.
The document is expected to present an overview of the state-of-the-art in SOC
monitoring and reporting, measures to maintain and enhance SOC, and
recommendations for managing SOC in agro-ecosystems of special interest (carbon
rich soils, grasslands and livestock production systems, and dry lands).
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 37
Specifically, the symposium outcomes should provide crucial information that could
contribute to:
The refinement of methodologies for reporting on SOC as outlined in Volume 4
(Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Use) of the Outline of the Methodology
Report(s) to refine the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas
Inventories which was adopted by decision IPCC-XLIV/L.3 during the 44th Session
of the IPCC;
The Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation,
Sustainable
Land Management, Food Security and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial
Ecosystems (SR2) agreed during the 43rd Session of the IPCC; and
The Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Program implemented by
UNCCD.
6.5 Hedgerow establishment & landslide stabilization at Jarey and SLM
sensitization at Jamkhar
During the monitoring visit to Jarey gewog in February 2016, the LMU team the progress a
was bit low with only 30% of the actual cultivated dry land covered by SLM
technologies i.e. either with stone bund or with Napier hedgerows. Accordingly, during
the Gewog Tshogdu (GT), the Gup had suggested that the project should aim for 50%
coverage or more. Accordingly, the team from the Center visited the gewog to fulfill the
following objectives: -
to up-scale Napier hedgerow promotion in the dry land area from 30% to
50%
to stabilize the landslide area using bio-engineering technologies or with
plantations
6.5.1 Hedgerow Establishment
The gewog administration wished to create Ladrong chiwog under Jarey gewog as the
model chiwog for Napier hedgerow establishment and Yabi/Zangkhar chiwog as a
model for stone bunding. Consequently, hoping to encourage and train farmers and
anticipating covering at least 70% of Ladrong farm land with hedgerows, practical
training was imparted to the farmers of the chiwog. However, land ownership in Ladrong
posed a challenge as patches of the land belonged to farmers of other adjacent
chiwogs viz. Yumchey, Pam and Nganey chiwogs. Thus absentee land owners within
Ladrong chiwog also hindered in planned coverage with Napier hedgerow
establishment. Nevertheless, 22 farmers out of 36 participated in the training program
covering an area of approximately 10 acres benefitting 11 households. The Gewog
livestock extension service organized similar training at Ladrong and facilitated the
increase of the area from 10 to 21 acres. Some 124,000 Napier slips costing Nu. 279,000
(including transportation) have been procured and distributed.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 38
Similar training along with practical aspects on Napier Hedgerow establishment was
imparted to the farmers of Nganey, Jarey, Chartong, Yabi & Zangkhar villages. Napier
slips were provided for all the sites including re-planting in the gaps resulting due to non-
survival. The Napier slips were procured from Ladrong, Nganey, Metsho and from Takila.
Napier slips were also supplied to livestock farmers group at Yabi for fodder
development.
Figure 32: Napier slips being transported (left); Workforce ready with slips to plant (right)
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 39
Table 13: Napier Slip Procurement & Distribution Sl.
No. Source of Napier Slips Quantity (Slips) Beneficiary Gewogs
1 Ladrong 22,700 Ladrong & Chatrong
2 Metsho 15,000 Jabum/ Jarey
3 Nganey Gewog Office 27,100 Yabi/Zangkhar/ Yumchey
4 Takila (Tangmachu) 59,000 Ladrong/Nganey/Yabi & Zangkhar
Table 14: Area under Napier Hedgerows
Sl.
No. Village
No. of
Households
Benefitted
Area (Acre) Remarks
1 Ladrong 23 21
Planted as hedgerows
2 Nganey 16 4
3 Chatrong 7 3
4 Jarey/Jabum 15 5
5 Yumchey 7 - Planted randomly as
fodder for livestock 6 Yabi/Zangkhar 35 3
Table 15: Cost of Napier Slips & Transportation
Sl.
No. Source Quantity (Slips) Amount Remarks
1 Ladrong 22,700 45,400
2 Nganey 27,100 54,200
3 Metsho 15,000 30,000
4 Takila 59,000 118,000
5 Transportation 31,500
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 40
6.5.2 Landslide Stabilization Program
During the GT and chiwog Action Planning exercise in 2015-16, farmers from Pam,
Yumchey, Nganey and Yabi/Zangkhar had made a strong request for training on
landslide stabilization. Accordingly, during the 2016-17, landslide stabilization program
were carried out in Pam, Nganey and Yumchey chiwogs. Though the stabilization work
at Pam was successful, the program at Yumchey could be considered a total failure
because immediately after the plantations and stabilization works were completed,
there was mass landslide in the same area due to long & heavy rainfall washing down
the whole slope.
Figure 34: Plantations and check-dams at Pam
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 41
Figure 35: Landslide stabilization work (left); Active landslide (right)
For the fiscal year, landslide stabilization works had been planned at Pam & Yabi
Zangkhar chiwogs. The main factors that directly caused the landslide at the sites were
(1) poor drainage of the farm roads; (2) free cattle grazing practices; and (3) shallow
soil depth with sandy texture. For the implementation of the stabilization work, farmers in
the two affected chiwogs were asked to supply planting materials, for which the
payment would be made from the project funds. Additional bamboo rhizomes were
sourced from Domkhar besides the local supply made from Koribee.
The different plant species used in the landslide sites includes bamboo rhizome,
Erythrina, willow, Jatropha curcas cuttings and pine seedlings. Cuttings and rhizomes
were planted randomly in the landslides sites. Since the sites were dry in some places,
mulching was done with leaves and dried materials. Around six acres of land have
been covered with three acres in Yabi/Zangkhar, one acre in Pam & two acres in
Nganey.
Highlighting the importance of managing the site well, participants were asked to keep
away the cattle and also to plant more once in a year during summer to increase the
ground cover. In case, if the landslide sites is not managed, chances of the landside
affecting the whole village especially Pam chiwog is very high. The farm road leading to
Yumchey chiwog cuts at the base of Pam chiwog and the geology there being weak is
prone to landslips and mass soil movement.
Table 16: Seedlings and cuttings used for the stabilization works
Sl.
No. Planting Material Quantity Cost Remarks
1 Erythrina cuttings 212 4,240
All planted in the
landslide site at
Yabi & Pam
2 Bamboo Rhizome 147 14,700
3 Willow cuttings 460 4,600
4 Jatropha curcas 140 1,400
5 Pine saplings 403 2,015
6 Cyprus saplings 2,500 30,000 Planted at
Nganey landslide
site
7 Bamboo Rhizome 50 5,000
8 Cuttings of Erythrina &
Quercus 170 8,500
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 42
6.6 Monitoring visit of project site at Thangrong, Mongar
The scheduled visit to Thangrong occurred from 18th to 30th October 2016 to monitor
field activities and to discuss with the stakeholders planned activities for the next
quarter. The farming tools were also distributed to the beneficiaries then.
In all the three chiwogs of the gewog where hedgerows were established in the past
year, the hedges were growing well confirming the fact that the farmers have taken
good care of the hedges. But, during the visit, the second crop of maize in the fields
obscured the hedges. In all three chiwogs of Bauchiling/Panglem, Narpontang and
Changsingonpa, only a few farmers’ land remain without hedgerows left out due to
their absence from the village for some reason or the other last season. Nevertheless,
they will start working hedgerow establishment this season. The farmers have not
harvested the grasses yet and, therefore they were briefed on benefits of timely
harvesting and filling of gaps if any in the hedgerows.
Figure 36: Hedge row establishment at Bouchiling
This season, effort was made to focus on two chiwogs of Atola and Lingkhar for
hedgerow establishment for which grass slips was sourced from other chiwogs of
Thangrong. Prior to execution of the work, the farmers of the two chiwogs were trained
on sustainable land management with technical expertise from Gewog and NSSC.
Keeping in mind the keen interest shown by the farmers of the two chiwogs citing
availability of abundant stones in the field itself, some 30 farmers were trained to
construct stone bunds in their fields -
clearly educating them on the importance
of stone bunding and hedgerow
plantation to minimize surface erosion –
these interventions being given emphasis
during first two years of the project period
while the final year will be devoted to
review and documentation of the
interventions adopted by the farmers.
Figure 37: Agriculture tools distributed to Changsingonpa community
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 43
6.7 SLM Training for Staff of Trongsa Dzongkhag
Cognizant of the fact that agriculture is vitally important to poor and vulnerable people
in developing countries and in Bhutan it is in no exception since 69% of the country
population is directly dependent on agriculture farming providing direct employment
to 59.5% (MoLHR, 2010). However, Agriculture production is being challenged by
obstacles such as crop depredation by wild animals, unfavorable climatic conditions,
low productivity and land degradation. The fact that adoption of SLM technologies
adoption can diversify food sources, improve livelihood options, can contribute to
biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation & mitigation, a training on
SLM for their staff was requested by the Dzongkhag administration of Trongsa with the
funding support of RRDCP. Thus, a training program was developed with the following
objectives: -
sensitize the Dzongkhag RNR staff on available SLM measures
develop skills of RNR staff on SLM (theory & practical)
streamline & facilitate incorporation of SLM technologies in Gewog &
Dzongkhag plans for up-scaling SLM
A total of 15 participants attended in the 5-day training conducted from 19th to 23rd
June’17 highlighting the importance of managing land not only for agriculture
productivity but also weighs equally for livestock farming and sustainable forest
management. The training was imparted through lectures/presentations, screening of
short SLM movie clips, group discussions and practical work in the fields consisting of A-
Frame making & running it to demarcate contour lines; hedgerow establishment; check
dam construction; brush layering; planting of bamboo rhizomes and tree cuttings etc.
Figure 38: Making A-Frame (left); Degraded site stabilization work (right)
6.8 Soil Survey, LULC Mapping & Participatory SLM Action Planning at Wangphu,
Samdrupjongkhar
Bhutan as a member country to UNCCD has committed to join the Land Degradation
Neutrality (LDN) Program, aiming to achieve LDN by 2030 along with 80 other countries.
The LDN countries are required to set targets voluntarily based on the resources
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 44
available to them. As a small country with small population, achieving LDN would not
be as challenging as in other big and hugely populated countries. However, given its
very rugged and fragile landscapes with land degradation quite prevalent in the
country, achieving LDN in Bhutan by 2030 might be challenging but achievable if
adequate financial support to take up sustainable land management (SLM) activities to
combat land degradation in the country is provided by the government.
In pursuit of scaling up SLM activities to combat land degradation and enhance rural
livelihoods in vulnerable areas, a three year SLM Project was approved for the
Wangphu gewog under Samdrupjongkhar Dzongkhag. The three year SLM project
(January 2017 to December 2019) is funded by BTFEC. Wangphu gewog was selected
for this project based on the following reasons: i) it's one of the remotest gewogs in the
country with very limited road access and other amenities, ii) most of the people are
below or near the national poverty line, and iii) due to unsustainable land management
practices (e.g. Tseri), the gewog is vulnerable to soil erosion and other forms of land
degradation.
Wangphu gewog has five chiwogs viz: Sachhilo, Yarphu, Pangthang, Shokshi and
Wangphu with a total of about 400 households. Dry land agriculture dominates the
current land use system in the gewog covering approximately 500 acres (currently
cultivated). Most of these dry lands are located on steep slopes (up to 35°) and are
susceptible to soil erosion and other forms of land degradation. Although Tseri
cultivation is illegal in the country, it is commonly practiced in the gewog particularly on
steep slopes where cropping every year is not possible due to high risk of soil erosion.
Maize and citrus are the main crops grown in the gewog. However, other crops such as
potato, barley, ginger, cardamom, beans, and vegetables are also commonly grown
in the gewog.
However, crop production is mostly dependent on the size and quality of land owned
by each household (HH). Like in any other
gewog, landholding in Wangphu gewog is
variable. For instance, in Sachhilo chiwog, most
of the HHs have more than five acres in their
Lag Thram. But in Shokshi chiwog, majority of the
HHs own less than five acres of land on an
average – largely attributed to land
fragmentation among the family members. The
average landholding size in other chiwogs is
also not so different from Shokshi. Because of its
geographic location (with altitude ranging
from 600 to 2700 masl), Wangphu gewog is
climatically suitable for growing a variety of
crops. However, due to low soil fertility and
other problems such as pest and diseases, and
wildlife depredation, the farmers of Wangphu
gewog have not been able to optimize their
crop production. Hence, the SLM project on
LDN could be regarded as timely to help combat land degradation and improve soil
fertility to increase crop production in the gewog. The visit to the gewog was planned
with the objectives of: -
Figure 39: Location Map of Wangphu Gewog
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 45
sensitizing GT members and farmers on the details of the SLM Project on LDN,
collecting baseline information on soil, soil organic carbon (SOC), and land use
land cover (LULC) type, and
developing participatory SLM Action Plan for each chiwog of Wangphu gewog for
endorsement by GT for implementation
6.8.1 Project Site
Geographically, the gewog shares a border with Martshala gewog in the west, Gomdar
gewog in the east, and Orong gewog on the north (Fig. 4.1). It spans a total area of
about 21000 ac with altitude ranging from 600 m to 2700 m above mean sea level. With
regard to land use and land cover type, about 70% (14,660 acres) of the gewog is under
forest cover followed by 13.7% (2,888 acres) under Kamzhing, 13.9% (2,918 acres) under
shrub land, 0.2% (45 acres) under orchard, and 2.3% under other categories.
Geologically, the Gewog is largely underlain by dolomite, phyllite, limestone, and
quartzite. There are approximately 400 households in the Gewog. Although the gewog
Centre (GC) is been connected with GC road, most of its chiwogs do not have road
access. It takes approximately 2 - 6 hours on foot to reach some of its chiwogs.
6.8.2 Sensitization on SLM and SLM Project
In order to sensitize the GT members on the importance of SLM and the project, a
special GT was organized. During the GT, a couple of presentations were made
highlighting the importance and benefits of SLM, different SLM technologies and
approaches, and SLM Project on LDN followed by discussions and screening of
documentary films on past SLM activities – emphasizing on achievements, challenges
and way forward. The same exercise was repeated in each chiwog before starting the
participatory SLM Action Planning.
6.8.3 Soil Survey
A conventional soil survey method was followed to
describe and sample the soils. Instead of visually
determining the soil sampling points based on
landform, geology and land use, a grid sampling
method was used to avoid any sampling bias. A grid
of 1 x 1 KM was generated covering the whole
Gewog. A total of 60 sampling points were
generated. However, from 60 sampling sites, those
sites falling on water bodies, rock outcrops, and
settlements were not sampled. As such, a total of 39
sampling points was only considered in the survey
(refer Fig. 39). At each sampling location, a standard
soil profile pit was dug, described, and sampled
based on the genetic horizon following a standard
soil survey method. A pair of core ring samples was
collected from each genetic horizon, in addition to bulk sample, to calculate the soil
bulk density. Soil samples will be analyzed using standard laboratory methods.
6.8.4 Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) Mapping
Cadastral map from the National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS) and LULC map
of 2010 (Land Cover Mapping Project 2010) were used as base maps to update the
Fig. 39: Location of soil sampling points
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 46
LULC map of Wangphu gewog. The actual update of the LULC map was done with the
help of Google Earth map followed by extensive ground truthing in the field. Further, a
focused group discussion was carried out in each chiwog to further update and refine
the LULC map. Using the draft LULC map, natural resource mapping was also done to
facilitate the participatory SLM Action Planning in each chiwog. Basically, farmers were
asked to locate on the map where their main land-based natural resources are mostly
situated in the chiwog. They were also asked to identify and locate vulnerable and/or
degraded land for possible interventions in the future.
6.8.5 Participatory SLM Action Planning
For the participatory SLM action planning exercise, the manual on Participatory SLM
Action Planning developed by the GEF/WB funded SLM Project (2007-2013) was
followed which advocates bottom-up and participatory planning process. Although
there are many steps to follow while planning, only key steps of the SLM planning
process were followed due to time constraint. The natural resource mapping was done
followed by identification and ranking of most important sources of livelihoods in the
chiwog. A trend analysis of these livelihood sources was also done based on the past 10-
15 years and extrapolated for another 10-15 years. This was followed by problem census
where key problems affecting the main sources of livelihoods were identified and their
root causes discerned. Possible SLM interventions were then discussed and identified to
address these challenges. Following this, a more detailed individual household SLM
planning was done, where type of SLM technology, acreage, and type of project
inputs were clearly mentioned in the plan against each household. A group or
community based SLM interventions was also included in the plan separately.
6.9 Soil Survey, LULC Mapping and Participatory SLM Action Planning
Soil survey, LULC mapping, and SLM Action planning were done simultaneously in each
chiwog. However, prior to these activities, farmers were sensitized on SLM and SLM
project through Power Point presentations and screening of SLM documentary films.
6.9.1 Soil Survey
As represented in Figure 39, a total of 39 soil profile pits were described and sampled
based on genetic horizons. A total of 10 profiles under Wangphu chiwog, 4 profiles under
Sachhilo, 8 profiles under Yarphu chiwog, 10 profiles under Pangthang chiwog, and 6
profiles under Shokshi chiwog were described and sampled. Geologically, Wangphu
Gewog is underlain by dolomite, phyllite, limestone and quartzite and as such, soils are
generally shallow in depth. The steep slopes, high stone and gravel content, and
extensive soil erosion might have further attributed to shallow soil depth. Despite high
stone and gravel content, soil textures are moderately fine with sandy loam to silty clay
loam in all the chiwogs. Overall, the soils of Wangphu gewog are well drained with no
water logging problems. However, soils are susceptible to soil erosion due to fine texture
coupled with very steep slopes and unsustainable land management practices. Figure
40 shows typical soil profiles under each chiwog.
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 47
6.9.2 LULC Mapping
Wangphu gewog spans an area of about 21,000 acres with altitude ranging from 600 m
to 2,700 masl Overall, forest cover dominates the LULC type (70%) of the Gewog
followed by shrub land (13.9%), kamzhing (13.7%), others (2.3%), and orchard (0.2%).
However, the proportion of LULC areas and types are vary from chiwog to chiwog. Since
updating of LULC map is time consuming, only the LULC maps of Sachhilo and
Pangthang chiwogs could be completed. The finalization of the LULC maps of the other
two chiwogs is underway.
Soil Profiles - Sachhilo Soil Profiles - Yarphu
Soil Profiles - Pangthang Soil Profiles - Shokshi
Soil Profiles - Serchenmo Soil Profiles - Wangphu
Figure 40: Typical soil profiles under each Chiwog of Wangphu Gewog
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 48
a) LULC Map of Sachhilo chiwog
b) LULC Map of Pangthang chiwog
6.9.3 Participatory SLM Action Planning
As described earlier, the Participatory SLM Action Planning Manual was used to
develop the SLM Action Plan for each chiwog of Wangphu Gewog. In each chiwog,
LULC type Area (ac) Area (%)
Citrus 17.34 0.34
Cliff 5.82 0.11
Forest 4586.05 88.83
Hazelnut 21.89 0.42
Kamzhing 176.44 3.42
Kamzhing abandoned 339.26 6.57
Landslide 1.91 0.04
Rocky area 12.1 0.23
Walnut 1.65 0.03
Total 5162.46 100.00
LULC type Area (ac) Area (%)
Citrus 31.17 0.89
Forest 2504.51 71.13
Hazelnut 53.38 1.52
Kamzhing 290.32 8.25
Kamzhing Abandoned 610.45 17.34
Landslide 4.15 0.12
Rockey area 17.59 0.50
Walnut 9.26 0.26
Total Area 3520.83 100.00
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 49
more than 90% of the total HHs participated in the SLM Action Planning process. The
SLM Action Planning was done in groups (i.e. men and women) to get views from both
the genders with regard to SLM.
Figure 41: SLM Action Planning at Sachhilo chiwog
Figure 42: SLM Action Planning at Yarphu chiwog
Figure 43: SLM Action Planning at Wangphu chiwog
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 50
6.9.4 Summary of SLM Action Plan of each chiwog
Figure 44: SLM Action plan of Sachhilo chiwog
Figure 45: SLM Action plan of Yarphu chiwog
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 51
Figure 46: SLM Action plan of Pangthang chiwog
Figure 47: Overall SLM Action plan of Wangphu Gewog
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 52
Table 17: Summary of other SLM Action plans for different chiwogs
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 53
6.10 Special Gewog Tshogdu
A special GT was convened at
Wangphu gewog to endorse the SLM
Action Plan of the SLM Project on LDN
on 26th May 2017. About 40 people (8
GT members, 4 representatives from
each chiwog , 3 RNR staff, 1 School
Principal, 3 representatives from
Wangphu Dratshang, and 5 NSSC staff)
participated the one day special GT.
During the GT, the SLM Action Plan for
each chiwog was presented, reviewed,
refined, and endorsed for immediate
implementation. In addition, the
incentive from the SLM Project for
adopting a particular SLM technology
was also presented during the GT for endorsement.
6.11 World Soil Day Celebration – 2016
On 5th December, Bhutan joined the global community world-wide to celebrate the
World Soil Day with the National Soil Services Centre (NSSC), DoA organizing the
celebration at the Moelamthang at
Figure 48: Special GT Participants
Figure 49: Incentives for adopting different SLM technologies Special GT Participants
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 54
Damphu in Tsirang. With the theme “Soils and pulses, a symbiosis for life” the main
objective of the celebration was to highlight the importance of soil as a critical
component of the natural eco-system and as a vital contributor to the human wealth
through its contribution to food, water and energy security and as a mitigator of
biodiversity loss and climate change. 2016 being the year of pulses, the importance of
pulses as soil fertility enhancer was also highlighted.
Director, Department of Agriculture
graced the occasion as the chief guest
and opening the day’s activities strongly
emphasized on the importance of soil and
land management considering the limited
arable land in Bhutan on which about 65%
of our population still subsist. In order to
help improve our food sufficiency goals,
the importance of soil & land
management cannot be overlooked.
At the ground, there were posters, products displays and presentations from the
National Soil Services Centre, National Organic Program, Agriculture Machinery Center
and National Plant Protection Centre. Along with the communities of different gewogs,
students and staff of Tsirang Dzongkhag participated in the celebration. During the
celebration, vegetable seeds were distributed to the participating farmers and others.
About one thousand people participated comprising local communities, students and civil servants.
7.0 FINANCIAL PROGRESS
Overall Budget and Expenditures
The summary of the expenditure against approved budget estimates for the reporting
period (July 2016-June 2017) is reflected in Table 12.
Table 12: Expenditure against Budget Appropriations
Account
Budget
Appropriations
(Nu. in Million)
Expenditure
(Nu. in Million)
Unspent
(Nu. in Million) % Utilization
NATIONAL SOIL SERVICES CENTER
RGoB 25.001 23.314 1.687 93.3
BTFEC 5.098 4.153 0.945 81.5
LDN 0.610 0.208 0.402 34.1
GRAND TOTAL 30.709 27.675 3.034 90.1
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 55
ANNEX – 1: STAFF STRENGTH Sl.
No. Name Qualification Position Title
1 Karma Dema Dorji PhD Program Director
2 Tshering Dorji PhD Principal Land Management Officer
3 Jamyang M. Phil. Specialist
4 Phuntsho Gyeltshen M. Sc. Dy. Chief Soil Survey & Land Evaluation Officer
5 Suraj Chhetri M. Sc. Principal SF & PN Officer
6 Tsheten Dorji M. Sc. Sr. Soil Survey & Land Evaluation Officer
7 D B Tamang B. Sc. Chief Laboratory Officer
8 Tshering Dhendup B. Sc. Assistant Chemist (EOL from 30th March’17)
9 Tashi Wangchuk B. Sc. Lab. Officer
10 Dawa Tashi B. Sc. (Agri) Soil Survey & Land Evaluation Officer
11 Sonam Tenzin B. Sc. (Agri) SS & LE Officer (Joined from 1st January’17)
12 Haka Drukpa B. Sc. (Agri) Land Management Officer
13 Ngawang Tenzin B. Sc. (Agri) Extension Supervisor (Resigned from 16th August’16)
14 Tashi Uden B. Sc. (Agri) Sr. Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition Supervisor – I
15 Jigme Dorji Diploma Sr. Laboratory Technician
16 Tshewang Dorji Diploma Chief Laboratory Officer
17 Chenga Tshering Diploma Sr. Agriculture Officer
18 Ran B. Subba Diploma Sr. Lab. Technician
19 Sangita Pradhan Diploma Sr. Technician
20 Chencho Dorji Diploma Sr. SS & LE Supervisor (Resigned from 14th April’17)
21 Yeshey Chedup Diploma Sr. Soil Survey & Land Evaluation Supervisor
22 Tshering Pem Diploma Extension Supervisor
23 Tshewang Tobgay Diploma Soil Survey & Land Evaluation Supervisor – II
24 Kuenzang Nima Diploma Land Management Supervisor
25 Madhan L. Gurung Diploma SF & PN Supervisor – I
26 Karma L. Jamtsho Diploma SF & PN Supervisor (Joined from 1st January’17)
27 Pelzang Certificate Sr. Laboratory Technician – II
28 Jigme Kundrel Certificate Sr. Laboratory Assistant
29 Norbu Rinchen Certificate Assistant Laboratory Technician
30 Wangchuk Dema Certificate Sr. Laboratory Assistant
31 Sonam Lhamo Certificate Laboratory Assistant
32 Ugyen Pem Certificate Administrative Assistant
33 Tshering Wangmo Certificate Accounts Assistant
34 Cheki Lhadon Certificate GSP – Messenger
35 Chador Wangdi Certificate Driver
36 Wangchuk Certificate Driver
37 Pradeep Lohar Certificate Driver
38 Tashi Dorji Certificate Driver
39 Choki Rinzin Class XII Driver
40 Rinzin Wangmo Class VIII ESP – Laboratory Attendant
41 Pema Wangchuk Class VIII ESP – Lab. Utility Asstt. (Joined from 1st August’16)
42 Rinchen Norbu Class VIII ESP – Field Asstt.
43 Sita Gurung Class V ESP – Sweeper
44 Kencho Tenzin ESP – Night Guard
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 56
ANNEX – 2: IMPORTANT PUBLICATIONS
Sl.
No. Report Title
Year of
Publication
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
A participatory approach towards increasing potato yield for
Thrimshing Farmers (Soil Fertility Unit - Published in Sanam Drupdey, 6th
Edition; Feb’16)
Fertilizer Recommendations for Major Crops in Bhutan Version # 2
Project Implementation Completion Report – SLM Project
Bhutan Land Cover Assessment 2010-Technical Report
Soil and Plant Diversity Study along Gasa-Lunana Transect in Bhutan
SLMP Annual Work Plan (2011-12)
Soil Erosion – Measurement and analysis of soil erosion plot data for 2010
Soil Erosion – Measurement and Analysis of Soil Erosion Plot Data for
2011
BHUCAT - Bhutan Catalogue of Soil and Water Conservation
Approaches and Technologies - Best Practices and Guidelines from
Bhutan for Sustainable Land Management on Steep to Very Steep
Slopes
Working the Land - Documenting the Key Lessons of Sustainable Land
Management on Steep to Very Steep Slopes in Bhutan
Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) on Soil & Soil Fertility
Management
Participatory Approaches in Sustainable Land Management – Planning,
Implementation & Monitoring as Continuous Learning Processes
National Action Plan to Combat Land Degradation
Soil Erosion –Measurement and analysis of soil erosion plot data for 2009
Evaluation of GEF-MSP Project: Building capacity and Mainstreaming
Sustainable Land Management in Bhutan
Final Report Terminal Evaluation UNDP/GEF Medium Sized Project on
Building Capacity & Mainstreaming SLM in Bhutan
Development of Research/ Activity Project Proposals
SLMP Annual Work Plan (2010-11)
Soil Erosion – Measurement and analysis of soil erosion plot data for 2009
Integrated Biodiversity Survey of the Lower Wangchhu Watershed,
Bhutan
Rangeland Management in Bhutan
Study on Poverty Sustainable Land Management Linkages in Bhutan-A
consultancy Report-2009
DrukDIF for the Natural Resources of Bhutan – A Consultancy Report-
2009
Sustainable Land Management Participatory Action Planning Manual &
Tool Kit
SLMP Annual Work Plan (2009-10)
Sustainable Land Management Interventions: Cost Benefit Analysis
Report
Rural Livelihoods and Peri-Urban Analysis
Review of Mainstreaming of sustainable Land Management in
Government Policies and Plans in Bhutan
A guide to Fertilizer Recommendation for Major Crops
A guide to Nutrient Deficiency/Toxicity Symptoms in Citrus
2016
2013
2013
2011
2011
2011
2011
2011
2011
2011
2011
2011
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2008
2008
2008
2008
NSSC Annual Report 2016-17 Page 57
ANNEX – 3: THESIS AND DISSERTATIONS ON SOIL & LAND MANAGEMENT Sl.
No.
Author/Thesis Title
& Year
1
2
3
Karma Dema Dorji (2016). Soils as proxies of environmental fluctuations at the southern
slopes of the Bhutan Himalayas. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg,
Germany
Tshering Dorji (2015). Soil carbon variability under montane ecosystems: assessing the
influence of landscape attributes. The University of Australia
Suzy Rebisz (2015). Cardamom-Based Agroforestry Systems: The Soil Fertility Management
in cardamom- dominant systems, wild forest-cardamom systems and mixed trees-cardamom
systems in Darla, Bhutan. Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
4 Thomas Kott (2012). A Comparative Study on Erosion risk on plots with a Continuous
Cultivation System and plots with a Shifting Cultivation System (Tseri) in Bhutan.
Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
5 Tsheten Dorji (2011). Computer Aided Land Evaluation for paddy rice cultivation in the
mountainous area. A case study of Radhi Watershed, Bhutan. Khon Kean University,
Thailand.
6 Tshering (RC-Yusipang, 2011). Impact of fertilizer practices on soil & plant nutrient status
and their relations to yield and fruit quality of apple in Bhutan. Kasetsart University,
Thailand.
7 Yeshey (RC-Bajo, 2010). A comparative assessment of land management approaches in
Bhutan. Case study from Chukha & Dagana districts. Asian Institute of Technology,
Thailand.
8 Tshewang Namgay (NOP, 2010). Influence of Biochar on the plant uptake of trace elements
and their bioavailability in soil. The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
9 Tshering Dorji (2009). Chronosequence of river terraces at Thangbi, Bumthang. Wageningen
University, the Netherlands.
10 Chhimi Rinzin (DoA, 2008). Status, options and challenges in soil and water conservation in
Bhutan: an implication for sustainable land management. Asian Institute of Technology,
Thailand.
11 Thomas Caspari (2007). The soils of Bhutan: Parent materials, soil forming processes, and
new insights into the paleo-climate of the Eastern Himalayas. Borntrager, Berlin, Stuttgart,
Germany.
12 Franziska Stossel (ETH Intern, 2000). Evaluation of Current Apple Tree (Malus domestica)
Nutrient Management Practices in the Paro & Thimphu Valleys.
13 Yeshey Dema (2000). Nitrogen Mineralization from Cattle FYM – A Case Study from
Bhutan, University of Reading, UK
14 Karma Dema Dorji (1998). Within field variability in soil physical and hydraulic properties,
crop growth & soil water dynamics. University of Reading, UK
15 Jamyang (1998). Effects of Organic Matter on Micro-Nutrients, University of Reading, UK
16 Chencho Norbu (1989). Effect of Organic (cattle manure-rice straw) and inorganic fertilizers
on wetland rice production. Central Luzone State University, Philippines.