National Framework for Organic Farming in Bhutan, 2006.

The primary goal of this framework is to enable a better understanding of organic agriculture and to clarify how organic practises can serve or hinder small farmers and rural communities - especially poor ones. This document gives the background and future directions for developing a framework for organic production in Bhutan. It outlines some policy needs, strategies for implementation and some future directions to take the Organic Programme forward. In the long term Bhutan strives to develop and promote organic farming as a way of life among Bhutanese farmers and trade in organic food items, to enhance nutrition, health and farm household income, and to become a net exporter of organic agricultural products. Bhutan envisions to become ‘Organic’ by 2020. To develop and promote organic farming and environmentally friendly farming systems and programmes that will enable Bhutanese farmers and traders to provide safe, quality food, produce and products for Bhutanese consumers and other markets. Organic farming practices are relevant to a wide range of farming activities in the RNR sector: Food safety and nutrition; Water quality, environment and sustainability, etc.
The implementation of an organic programme could create the following opportunities: providing awareness and knowledge among producers about organic farming production techniques. Increased awareness about health and environmental benefits from organic products benefiting small farmers that have difficulties to compete with imported products. The international organic market is growing rapidly and could provide niche export markets for Bhutanese farmers. Organic produce can form the basis for processing high value products providing the platform for business development in manufacturing. Bhutan could become the first country in the world to become ‘organic’ by 2020, which could have a huge promotion value for Bhutanese products. Organic farming has the potential to generate higher labour income than conventional farming. Organic farming could contribute to rural stability. Organic farming system has the potential to increase household food security and income while conserving biodiversity on farms. Learning to manage organic standards prepares farmers to manage certification internal control systems (2.2).
Organic farming practices are relevant to a wide range of farming activities in the RNR sector: Forest management and wild collection/harvesting of non-wood forest products; Integration of field crops, horticultural crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, farming with livestock animals, forestry and biodiversity; Processing, trading, services and marketing of produce and products; Food safety and nutrition; Water quality, environment and sustainability (3.4). Organic farming and processing is based on a number of principles: Management and conservation of resources and protection of the environment; Protecting the long term fertility of the soil by maintaining and increasing levels of organic matter, fostering soil biological activity and preventing soil erosion; Achieving nitrogen self sufficiency through crop rotation with leguminous and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock wastes; Promoting judicious use of and proper care for water resources and the life in it and conservation through water harvesting; Using renewable on-farm resources in locally organised farming systems; Reducing to zero all forms of pollution that result from agricultural practices; Controlling weeds, diseases and pests by relying primarily on local formulations for plant protection, crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, resistant varieties, and by using local species of successful traditional seeds and crops (3.5).