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Prospects of Organic Farming in Bhutan: A SWOT Analysis 时间:2017-06-15 12:42 来源:未知作者:admin 点击: 次 Abstract:A study was conducted to investigate the prospects of organic agriculture (OA) in Bhutan from the experts’ perspective, particularly the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) aspect. Thirty-five Bhutanese experts were interviewed. The strengths of OA were (i) good alignment of the principles of OA with Bhutan’s development philosophy, (ii) strong policy and political support, (iii) pristine environment, (iv) OA practices similar to traditional farming, and (v) compatibility of OA with the local farming knowledge. The major weaknesses were (i) a lack of awareness of the benefits of OA, (ii) lack of incentives, (iii) shortage of farm labor, (iv) small and irregular supply of organic product, (v) lack of clarity in policy, (vi) limited plant protection materials, and (vii) a lack of coordination between agencies. Opportunities were (i) a huge regional and global organic market, (ii) promoting healthy lifestyle, (iii) sustainable use of resources, (iv) lowering dependence on food and input imports, (v) development of local organic manure suppliers, (vi) creating seed sovereignty, (vii) conserving local crops, (viii) building soil fertility, (ix) introducing premium price for organic products, and (x) addressing unemployment. Threats included (i) increasing incidences of pests and diseases, (ii) decline in sources of organic manure, and (iii) limited sources of organic manures and fertilizers.
1. Introduction
Organic agriculture (OA) is a sustainable approach to food production as it includes all agricultural systems that promote the environmentally, socially, and economically sound production of food and fibers [1, 2]. Organic agriculture is socially acceptable, economically sound, and environmentally benign than conventional agriculture [3–6]. OA favours animal welfare, preserves biodiversity [4, 7], and reduces resource consumption [8]. OA also emphasizes sustainability in theory and practice and has attracted many environmentalists and health conscious consumers [9]. The rising number of organic consumers in turn has triggered further growth of organic agricultural land and the organic market [10, 11]. In tandem with the increase in land under OA, the global organic market also rose to US $64 billion in 2012 from US $18 billion in 2000 [11]. The growing global OA movement, which is predicted to grow further [11] because of the continuing environmental ill effects and contentious poor food quality emanating from conventional farming, has lured the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan into its fold.
However, the agriculture professionals and policy makers remain sceptical on whether the combination of philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) and practice of OA can actually lead to a total conversion. Can OA deliver Bhutan’s much sought-after food self-sufficiency goal? Several studies conducted elsewhere contest the benefits associated with OA [12–14]. These studies argue that the yield and profit from OA are low and soils are nutrient-deficient, and hence the organic production system is alleged to be inefficient and not capable of meeting the food demand of the growing global population [12, 14]. On the other hand, there are approximately an equal number of studies with opposing claims [15–17].
Bhutan’s development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) embraces environment protection and sustainable socioeconomic development through cautious planning. Despite being economically poor and experiencing food deficit, Bhutan’s development policy objectives, guided by the philosophy of GNH, remain all-inclusive and sustainability-oriented [18]. The holistic approach of OA to food production with a strong emphasis on sustainability has much in common with the philosophies and aspirations of policy objective of GNH. Accordingly, Bhutan officially launched OA in 2003 and proclaimed the intention to become a fully organic country by the year 2020 [19, 20]. The theory and practice of organic farming, which exclude or restrict the use of synthetic agrochemicals and encourage crop rotation and diversification, go hand in hand with farming practices in the country [21, 22]. Generally, the Bhutanese farmers rely heavily on traditional knowledge that advocates the use of organic materials such as cattle manure, leaf litter, and crop residues as fertilizers. These attributes put Bhutan in a rather comfortable position to convert to fully organic agricultural production [23] without major shifts in the prevailing farming paradigm. Bhutan’s aspiration to become a fully organic country is backed by strong political support, both within and outside the country [20].
Given a set of constraints prevalent in Bhutan, it is unclear how and to what technological, management, and social extent OA can meet the expectations of enhancing food production and lowering production costs, while maintaining the soil fertility in the country. We conducted a study with a primary objective to investigate the prospects of OA from the perspective of agriculture experts’ only, focusing mainly on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of OA. The second objective was to gather opinions on the promotion of OA and transitioning of Bhutan to a fully organic country.