Growing food out of water in Bhutan

Now, Kinley employs nine people, mostly single mothers and youth. Her current focus is on growing lettuce, which her team has harvested three times in five months and supplied to chain of hotels in the country.

FAO
09/09/2024

Excerpt:

The pandemic also showed the reliance of urban areas on food imported from abroad or from rural areas. In this, Bhutan’s Department of Agriculture has been pushing ahead with its strategy to promote urban farming.

Kinley also advocates for self-sufficiency and safe food in urban areas, like the capital in which she lives.

“In urban areas where food security is a pressing issue, I am dedicated to making freshly harvested, nutritious food accessible to everyone. Amidst busy lifestyles and the challenge of accessing quality food, we aim to reduce food waste and promote healthier eating habits,” says Kinley.

Bhutan’s economy relies heavily on agriculture, livestock and forests; this sector supports about 57 percent of the population. Even though the agriculture sector is growing in absolute terms, the share of the national Gross Domestic Product has been steadily decreasing due to rapid growth in other economic sectors.

On top of that, agricultural productivity is being undermined by an array of factors including urbanization and rapid development, crop damage by wild animals, land fragmentation, pests and diseases, rising temperatures and a shortage of agricultural inputs. As a result, Bhutan’s goals of food security and self-sufficiency are becoming harder to achieve.

FAO’s project is addressing these issues by helping to move crop production closer to consumers and meeting growing demand in urban areas while showcasing new technologies for transforming agrifood systems, as well as creating more jobs and income opportunities especially for women and young people.

Read the complete article here.

Also see