Bhutan's Push for 100% Organic Nationwide
Lead image/ Bhutan is an agricultural country
In mid-October, the Zengwen Community College invited Elizabeth Henderson, a key figure in promoting CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in the United States, Daycha Siripatra, founder of Thailand's Rice God Foundation, and Mr. Dorji Wangchhuk, a researcher at Bhutan's Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, to come to Tainan to share their experiences in promoting friendly agriculture. This article focuses on recording the content of that day's discussion to share with readers.
CSA Community Supported Agriculture
In modern society, the agricultural sales market we are familiar with and accustomed to is one where the relationship between consumers and food producers (farmers) is limited to a buyer-seller connection. In recent years, some consumers, inspired by new ideas, have begun to rethink this, and the growing backlash over food safety has led people to start paying attention to the safety of food sources; meanwhile, the constant natural disasters and the crisis of global warming have forced people to start taking issues related to food self-sufficiency, environmental sustainability, and green energy seriously.
In Europe and America, a type of agriculture that directly links land, producers, and consumers has emerged, known as CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). What is CSA? Perhaps a rough understanding and first impression can be gained through the CSA logo. The meaning I have derived is as follows:
He stated that Bhutan ranks among the top countries in the world for happiness index, and it also promoted organic farming very early on, even becoming the first country in the world to propose "100% organic nationwide." However, Bhutan also faces many domestic problems; how to make food safer, increase farmers' incomes, replenish the流失 rural population, and increase rural employment opportunities... these can all be said to be issues that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests needs to address.
In the past, Bhutan's food sources were diverse. Bhutanese people love rice. Although production has increased, because the export volume of local crops has increased, production has never been able to catch up with demand. In addition, pests and diseases and climate change have also caused great harm to Bhutan's agriculture.
Mr. Dorji said that Bhutanese farmers have very low incomes and cannot invest, so Bhutanese farmers must rely on public sector units to take the lead, which also highlights the importance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. The purpose of Bhutan's promotion of "low-input agriculture" is sustainability; it includes not only environmental sustainability but also hopes that agriculture can meet food needs, ensure economic security, reduce poverty, and move toward a sustainable lifestyle.
Almost all crops in Bhutan are produced through organic cultivation (but potatoes need fertilizer added, otherwise yields are very low). The way Bhutan's Ministry of Agriculture and Forests addresses yield issues is by continuously experimenting with planting methods; they believe they will eventually find suitable planting methods. They also hope that Bhutan's food self-sufficiency rate can reach 70% and that it can still supply exports.
Bhutan's agricultural strategies developed for the purpose of protecting the environment are:
1. Since Bhutan has limited arable land, it focuses on serving and improving conditions for disadvantaged groups.
2. It can respond to different local conditions and climates and increase the production of developed crops.
3. There is an urgent need to improve investment in irrigation and water supply technology.
4. Improve transportation; most regions within Bhutan lack farm roads, and transportation mostly relies on human labor. Therefore, building farm roads and reducing the use of human labor for transport has also become an important foundation for Bhutan.
5. Bhutan's terrain is steep, so developing large-scale agricultural mechanization is unlikely. Once the farm road problem is improved, mechanization can be widely used to make up for the shortage of labor.
6. To achieve the goal of food security, suitable locations are selected throughout Bhutan to plant nine crops.
7. Taiwan has a policy of one township, one specialty, and Bhutan has the same policy. Each small township in Bhutan plants three crops, and then one of the three crops with the greatest potential is selected for planting.
In addition, the challenges and main limitations faced by Bhutan's agricultural policy are:
1. Arable land is gradually disappearing; reasons include land encroachment and changes in land use.
2. Reduction in wildlife numbers and damage from pests and diseases; for example, wild boars eat crops.
3. Labor shortage.
4. Production costs are too high; supply and demand for labor are unbalanced.
As the audience at the forum saw and felt, whether it is CSA, the farmer schools promoted by the Rice God Foundation, or Bhutan's organic agriculture, what they discuss is not only actual technical improvement, but also identifying the crux of the problem and dedicating themselves to carrying it out. They do not seek speed, but seek focus. As for Taiwan, which was once a country founded on agriculture, where should we let agriculture go?
Further Reading
All articles in "Friendly Smallholders. International Connections. Relay Records"