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Bhutan (2021 Deadline)
Enhancing food security of smallholder farmers in Bhutan through building capacity in climate-smart agriculture
PI: Rekha Chhetri (rekha.cnr@rub.edu.bt), Royal University of Bhutan
U.S. Partner: Sarah Halvorson, University of Montana
Project Dates: April 2022 - June 2023
Project Overview
Despite contributing little to its cause, climate change impacts are being increasingly felt in Bhutan, particularly in the agriculture sector. The impact could worsen if the future climate scenarios of the Himalayas projected by various climate models are to come true. The current climate variability has reduced crop production and threatened food security, which was further amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the impacts of worsening climate scenarios on food systems, the Government of Bhutan is urging the adoption of smart agricultural practices so that food security would not be compromised. However, Bhutan has not been able to achieve much so far due to limited funds, expertise, and research.
This PEER project on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) researched indicators of smallholder farmers’ vulnerability to climate change, farmers’ perceptions on challenges and benefits of CSA practices in the project areas and farmers’ willingness and preference to adopt CSA technologies. The project also included capacity building through training and supply of basic materials to stakeholders to implement the CSA technologies and practices, strengthening smallholder farmers’ capacity to respond to climate change impacts. The team sought to generate data to make informed policy decisions on CSA and location-specific CSA tools and practices. Targeted farmers were encouraged to share their skills and knowledge with other interested farmers to broaden community participation.
Final Summary of Project Activities
The PEER team surveyed 248 randomly selected farmers from Chhimoong, Chongshing, and Yurung Gewogs in Pemagatshel District in Eastern Bhutan. The researchers' findings highlighted the importance of small-scale animal husbandry, specifically certain cattle breeds, and cultivation of less common cereal crops. Typical non-farm winter activities in the study area were weaving, wage labor, and brewing Ara (local alcohol). The top five challenges identified by farmers included pests and diseases, conflicts with wildlife, a lack of irrigation water, labor shortages, and post-harvest losses. Farmers also reported an increase in windstorms, hailstorms, and crop losses. Farmers had adopted or were willing to adopt CSA practices like seed saving, using farmyard manure, planting a mix of crops, improving crop varieties, and integrating livestock on the farms. Most farmers relied on extension personnel for agricultural information and had limited access to most of the technologies and training related to CSA. The PEER team’s resource mapping study helped them identify the gaps in enhancing the livelihood of resource-poor farmers in a sustainable manner.
The PEER team undertook an intervention with farmers through field visits to agriculture research centers and other farmers’ fields, where they were exposed to new technologies in agriculture, and had hands-on skill development activities led by both researchers and progressive farmers who have already adopted some of the practices and technologies. To help the farmers implement the skills and knowledge they gained, the PEER project supplied them with various equipment, including a diesel engine for cornflake production, a stainless-steel combined rice milling machine, water tanks, and irrigation piping.
The U.S. partner Dr. Sarah Halvorson visited the PI Dr. Rekha Chhetri and her team in Bhutan to discuss future collaborations, visit farmers undertaking CSA practices, and conduct short training courses on Research Design and Fundamentals of Proposal Writing. During her visit, the team visited farmers who had taken part in the intervention, including two locations where Dr. Chhetri and her colleagues had previously installed ultraviolet-resistant water tanks to collect rainwater along with pipe and drip irrigation kits. The team also observed farmers implementing the CSA practice of intercropping legumes with potatoes, which they learned during their project-sponsored farmers’ field visit, as well as making their own organic fertilizers by composting leaf litter and other farm wastes, including cow urine and biomass.
As a result of their joint project monitoring exercise, the team saw the project plans were successfully implemented or were in the process of implementation as per the plan. All farm equipment and inputs required by the farmers in the project areas for implementation of the project activities had safely reached their recipients, and the beneficiary farmers and local agriculture extension officials were all happy and grateful for the generous support. The project was only designed for one year, which could be deemed too short to show bigger impact, particularly in the agriculture sector. However, this was not the case with the current project, as Dr. Chhetri notes that she and her colleagues could already see farmers implementing the new lessons they had learned. In addition, the farm machines and materials that were supplied could contribute to addressing the challenges of food security in the years to come. The project team, while deeply happy with the success of the project, will continue seeking additional funds and projects to build on this initiative. They see a huge potential to up-scale the activities and continue to improve the livelihood of Bhutanese farmers in the face of changing climate.
In June 2023, the PEER team published a book about their project, which may be downloaded through the link below.
Publication
Tashi Dendup, Sonam Tashi, Rekha Chhetri, Ugyen Yangchen, and Sarah J. Halvorson. 2023. Smallholder Farming and Climate-Smart Agriculture: A View from Pemagatshel District. ISBN : 978-99936-994-6-0
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