Bhutan On The Way to Self-Sufficiency

Ritambhara Rai Bhattarai,

Correspondent (Asia: South)

 

THIMPHU — Bhutan, a small country with a small economy, has always focused on its Gross National Happiness rather than its Gross National Product. Bhutanese people are trying to make an impact by starting from the root level on sustainable growth which is one of the four pillars on which Gross National Happiness relies. The Yurma Lower Secondary Boarding School located in South-East Bhutan has included “Agricultural Gardening” as a part of their school’s curriculum under a joint initiative by two ministries of the Royal Government of Bhutan: Agriculture and Education.

The students are taught to grow various kinds of vegetables such as cabbage, chilli, peanuts, cauliflower, spinach, carrots, etc. These cultivated organic vegetables are then bought by the school canteen and served to the children. The students do not just learn about the modern ways of farming and importance of nutritional organic food, but an addition of $160 is earned. In a country where 80% of the population survives on agriculture, the students can take their knowledge back home and share it with their parents too. Also, one of the major motives behind taking this initiative is to stimulate the local market and to become less dependent on imported food.

Principal Ugyen Wangdi says: “The Royal Government of Bhutan will soon fully takeover the School Feeding Programme from World Food Programme in 2018. Now is the best time for us to move towards self-sufficiency and produce food for ourselves… I believe the school agriculture programme is an essential part of this”. Right now the United Nations World Food Programme is supporting the school with 2 meals a day and the government only takes care of the dinner.

By targeting the students the government has strategically taken the right step. The young teenagers will not only spread their knowledge to friends and families but they will turn out to be citizens with strong perspective on sustainable growth and will guide future generations.

 

Image Courtesy: Steve Evans (http://www.flickr.com/photos/64749744@N00/11915237)