Bhutan: Four years of transformation

Thimphu, Bhutan - When the Prime Minister addressed the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021, his words carried an urgent warning: "The fractures within our food systems have painfully come to the fore during the on-going COVID-19 crisis." The pandemic exposed Bhutan's vulnerability, “as an import driven country."

Four years later, Bhutan's Second National Stocktake Report reveals how the crisis became a catalyst for transformation.

The challenge: Limited land, unlimited determination

As His Majesty the King emphasized in 2016, "Bhutan's difficult terrain means that only 7 percent, or 664,000 acres, of our total land is usable. We must ensure that this small amount of land is put to the best use for the benefit of our people." With 49.2 percent of the employed persons in the agriculture sector practicing mainly subsistence farming, the challenge was immense.

Bhutan responded with Food Systems for Gross National Happiness – Transformative Pathways outlining eight pathways toward, “a carbon neutral, environmentally benign, high performance food system, which is resilient to shocks and climate change; and effectively provides affordable, safe and nutritious food for all."

Pathways become reality

The Stocktake, informed through a series of regional consultative workshops in October 2025, documents remarkable progress. Despite farmers continuing to "contend with climate variability, human-wildlife conflict, and resource constraints," they "demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability."

The Ministry has installed 506.7 km of integrated fencing (chain-link with solar electric), protecting about 12,807 acres of farmland. This is part of ongoing efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict, which has contributed to 38% of agricultural land being left fallow. In the fiscal year July 2024 to June 2025 alone, 7,472 acres were developed through terracing, stone removal, bund construction, erosion control, and orchard establishment.

Water security has advanced significantly. With irrigation coverage from 27% of the wetland to more than 30%, new schemes are contributing to improved soil moisture, stable yields, and reduced climate vulnerability. The Phangyul Irrigation Scheme has brought 1241 acres of land with assured irrigation, transforming once-parched and underutilized land into productive, arable fields.

Market-led innovation

Economic transformation has matched production gains. SAMJONG ooperative – registered with the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives on July 31, 2024 – demonstrates market-led approaches. By adopting a market-led production approach, SAMJONG begins with consumer demand and works backward, guiding producers to deliver 37 key agricultural products, 5 livestock products, and a variety of tourism-oriented offerings.

Through Farmers' Sale Outlets, the cooperative provides a platform for producers to showcase and sell their goods directly to consumers. Local youth, empowered through cooperative membership and training, now manage production and sales, reinforcing skills, self-confidence, and a sense of ownership.

Technology at scale

Climate-smart technologies have expanded – through more than 40 climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices, including the release of 313 improved field and horticulture crop varieties, and 31 forage crop varieties. The 8,296 biogas units nationwide have significantly reduced firewood consumption, liquefied petroleum gas dependency, and methane emissions.

The Million Fruit Trees Plantation Project shows scale. With more than 4.3 million fruit trees planted by over 32,000 households, the project not only strengthened future food and income security but has also created meaningful seasonal employment for more than 6,000 youth.

A partnership for resilience

As the 2021 pathways emphasized, "Individual nations, particularly least developed countries like Bhutan, cannot succeed in transforming their food systems alone."

This second national stocktake confirms that sustaining these efforts requires strong national commitment, alongside continued support and partnership from the international community. The nation seeks continued collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and investment from international development partners, research institutions, and multilateral agencies.

From the systemic fragility exposed by COVID-19 to tangible gains in protecting scarce arable land, Bhutan shows how crisis can drive lasting transformation. Where only 7 percent of land can produce food, every acre matters, and every partnership counts.

Bhutan's Second National Stocktake Report on Food Systems documents four years of progress since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, where the nation committed to transforming vulnerability into resilience through the Eight Transformative Pathways for Gross National Happiness.