At the fourth edition of the World Food Forum yesterday, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay introduced two important initiatives to strengthen Bhutan’s agriculture sector and improve child nutrition. Bhutan participated in the World Food Forum three times in a row including this year in Rome, Italy. The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Younten Phuntsho also presented five key agricultural commodities and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Plan at the forum.
During the Prime Minister’s address at the forum, he introduced the AgriSustain Fund and the ‘One Egg Per Student Per Day’ programme.
The prime minister said that the idea came up during the conversation with the FAO Director-General QU Dongyu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that was recently held in New York.
“The importance of feeding one egg per student every day is to boost their daily micronutrient and protein intake. These initiatives are vital for Bhutan as each will contribute meaningfully to improving agriculture, promoting good nutrition and enhancing prosperity.”
The prime minister also highlighted that farming employs about half the country’s population, yet contributes only 15 per cent to the GDP. He said this is because farming remains largely subsistence despite decades of investment.
He added that to transform Bhutan’s agri-food system from subsistence to sustainable commercial farming, Bhutan needs additional resources.
On that note, the prime minister announced that the government and the Food and Agriculture Organization have agreed to launch the AgriSustain Fund. He added that this fund is the brainchild of the FAO country representative, Ken Shimizu.
The prime minister said this fund will focus on five key areas.
“First, enhancing the adaptive capacity of our farmers by equipping them with climate-smart agricultural practices to withstand climate change impacts. You see, we are a carbon-negative country. We have done the least to contribute to climate change. Yet, our farmers are bearing the brunt of its effects.”
The second key area is to conserve biodiversity to ensure that ecosystems, including critical habitats and genetic resources, will thrive along agricultural practices.
The prime minister added that “Third, mitigating human-well-life conflict by empowering innovative technologies that protect both farmers and wildlife. Fourth, strengthening agri-food value chains by enhancing market access and ensuring fair farmer compensation. And fifth, empowering rural communities by engaging women and marginalized groups in the decision-making process.”
Furthermore, he added that the AgriSustain Fund will provide the much-needed relief for advancing agriculture to the next level while maintaining environmental sustainability.
According to the initial estimates, about USD 80 M needs to be raised for the AgriSustain Fund.
Meanwhile, the agriculture and livestock minister identified five key agricultural commodities as investment priorities: citrus mandarin, coffee, rainbow trout, black pepper, and quinoa during his presentation.
The minister also shared about the Hand-in-Hand Investment Plan. He said that the plan represents an opportunity for international stakeholders to engage with Bhutan in advancing sustainable agricultural development.
This year’s theme is “Good food for all, for today and tomorrow”.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the forum is the largest annual gathering of agrifood systems stakeholders bringing together global experts, young change-makers, investors and visionary leaders.
The forum will end on Friday.
Devika Pradhan/ Deki Lhazom
Edited by Tshering Zam
