Sustainability of Organic Farming in Bhutan: a group project

ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF BHUTAN

GAEDDU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES

GEDU: CHUKHA: BHUTAN

BACHELOR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

(BBA)

PROJECT WORK

(705)

Topic of the Project:

Organic Farming -

“A study on organic farming and its sustainability in Chukha Dzongkhag”

Group Members:

Kencho Tshering GC (1)/0800512

Phuntsho Choden GC (1)/0900836

Ugyen Wangmo GC (1)/0900838

Dubjur Wangdi GC (1)/0900842

Tshiltrim Phuntsho GC (1)/0900858

Dechen Lhamo GC (1)/0900864

Project Guide: Prof. K. Maitreyi

Submission Date: 10th November 2012

DECLARATION FORM

Module Code: 705 Type of Course Work: Major Project

Project Guide: Prof. K. Maitreyi Date of Submission: 10th November 2012

We hereby declare that this academic work is our own and those derived from other sources have been

appropriately acknowledged. We understand that if found otherwise, our academic work will be cancelled

and no mark will be awarded besides the legal consequences.

Kencho Tshering Phuntsho Choden Ugyen Wangmo Dubjur Wangdi Tshiltrim Phuntsho Dechen Lhamo

GC (1)0800512 GC (1)0900836 GC (1)0900838 GC (1)0900842 GC (1)0900858 GC (1)0900864

For Project Evaluator

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Acknowledgement

The corporation and enormous contribution by all the supporters and group members

deserve more than what is express in this paper. It is a result of tremendous team spirit,

corporation and hard work. But it won’t be enough to credit simply the group for the

completion of the project as others were equally participative in contributing their

perspective on the project topic.

The foremost sincere appreciation and gratitude of the research team is for Prof. Maitreyi

Kollegal for her modest support and guidance from grounding of the project till its

completion. It was a great advantage for the team to have such an intellectual project guide

to surpass us through all thick and thins while doing the project.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Director and Dean of research and

Industrial Linkage Mr. Sangay Rinzin for providing such an important work. It is due to

the effective management headed by the dean of research who made the procedures and

system of research smooth and effective. The research guidelines in fact were our special

reference for laying out a brief outline for the project. In addition to this the team would

also like to convey its gratitude to all the friends and colleague of GCBS for lending their

help and support.

The team thanks all the district heads, Farmers, Merchants and people of Chukha

Dzongkhag. It is also our keen interest to thank the village head of Ketokha, Ap Dawa for

his generous hospitality and service during the survey in Ketokha, the Gewog head of

Chukha who permitted us to conduct our survey and made arrangements when required.

We are very much gratified with all the support and cooperation from all these people and

would once again like to offer our sincerest acknowledgement to each and every respected

personnel.

Abstract;

Organic farming is one simple word but to sustain it has become a challenge. Every nation

seems to have realized the need for such generosity and preserves their land for longer use

and better management. The barrier to sustainability of organic farming in mainly caused

due to excessive use of synthetic chemicals to the betterment of the yield. Synthetic

chemicals evolved even before the First World War where people poured a huge amount

of chemical in their field to feed their greed of more and more yields. In the due course of

using chemicals as fertilizers, people forgot to understand the future consequence. Time

has come to react for such situation or else the fertile land may become deserted without

any other option to revert it. Soils have become hard due to use of fertilizers, minerals

have been destroyed, micro organism dead and waters polluted. Agriculture catastrophe is

yet to start if not prevented at this curtail point.

Bhutan sensed the need of reconverting from inorganic to organic since early 2000’s but

on the contrary, use of synthetic chemicals increased every year hopping for the boosting

yields. Poor farmers didn’t consider the aftershock of this looter which will gradually

eradicate all the belonging of their rich soil. Few years ago in 2007, Bhutan declared to go

fully organic by 2020 but this plan is endangered by extensive import of agricultural

products from India and leaving many lands barren in the rural arable places. Farmers

migrated from rural area to urban and urban people had only a subsistence agriculture

product.

Soils degraded, imports increased, environment destroyed, health hampered, and

tremendous harm is yet to occur if we do not act for betterment. Never the less the nation

has enacted a framework to ensure sustainability and improvement in agricultural sector

for better organic farming practices. Besides, Bhutan can also serve it GNH pillar for

sustaining natural resource and preserving its tradition and culture through practice of

organic farming. The countries mission to go fully organic is a paradigm and will be

followed by other nations if it can walk the talk. The research team also aims to contribute

best in its own way by studying the sustainability of organic farming. Due to various

constraints viz. time, finance, labor, facility etc. the team will focus on Chukha

Dzongkhag for more convenience.

List of tables

Table 1.1 Kind of manure used……………………………………………………… 12

Table 1.2 Increase of households using chemical fertilizers………………………... 13

Table1.3 Awareness of the effect of chemicals……………………………………... 14

Table 1.4 Difficulties faced in collecting and generating manure………………….. 15

Table 1.5 Adequacy water supplies………………………………………………… 16

Table 1.6 Cultivation for Commercial Purposes……………………………………. 17

Table 1.7 Difficulties in transporting farm product to the market…………………. 18

Table 1.8 Increase in the profitability of organic products………………………… 19

Table 1.9 Will you commercialize your product if there is better market?............... 20

Table 1.10 Source of labor force…………………………………………………… 21

Table 1.11 Government support and subsidies received…………………………... 22-23

Table 2.1Procurement of Stock…………………………………………………….. 26

Table 2.2 Number of Procurement per week………………………………………. 27

Table 2.3 Do farmers or agents supply organic products to your shop?................... 28

Table 2.4 Customer Preference of Organic over Inorganic………………….......... 29

Table 2.5 Which product do you sell more?............................................................. 30

Table 2.6 Contract suppliers……………………………………………………….. 31

Table 2.7 Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is more supplier? 32

Table 2.8 Will you support the plan of going fully organic by 2020?...................... 33

Cross Tabulation

Table 3.1 Kind of manure used * Commercial Purpose ………………..……….… 35

Table 3.2 Kind of manure used * Difficulties in transportation ………………..…. 36

Table 3.3 Kind of manure used * Awareness of the effect of chemicals………...... 37

Table 3.4 Kind of manure used * Difficulties in processing manure……….... …… 38

Table 3.5 Commercial Purpose * Difficulties in transportation ……………………. 39

Table 3.6 Commercialization * Difficulties in transportation………………………. 40

Table 3.7 Village * Kind of manure used Cross tabulation…………………………. 41

Table 3.8 Village * Commercial Purpose Cross tabulation…………………………. 42

Table 3.9 Village * Trend of shift to inorganic farming ……………….…………… 43

Table 4.1 Procurement of Stock * sales of stock ………….……………………….. 44

Table 4.2 Willingness to sale organic product * Customer Preference of Organic.. 45

Table 4.3 Willingness to sell * Contract suppliers …………………………………. 45

Table 4.4 Sales volume * Customer Preference of Organic over Inorganic…………. 46

Chi-Square Table

Table 5.1 Kind of manure used * Commercial Purpose……… ……………………. 47

Table 5.2 Difficulties in transportation *Commercialization…………………. …… 48

Table 5.3 Distance from road * Kind of manure used …………...…………………. 49

List of figures

Figure 1.1 Kind of manure used……………………………………………………… 12

Figure 1.2 Increase of households using chemical fertilizers………………………... 13

Figure 1.3 Awareness of the effect of chemicals……………………………………... 14

Figure 1.4 Difficulties faced in collecting and generating manure………………….. 15

Figure 1.5 Adequacy water supplies………………………………………………… 16

Figure 1.6 Cultivation for Commercial Purposes…………………………………… 17

Figure 1.7 Difficulties in transporting farm product to the market…………………. 18

Figure 1.8 Increase in the profitability of organic products………………………… 19

Figure 1.9 Willingness to commercialize there is better market…………................. 20

Figure 1.10 Source of labor force…………………………………………………… 21

Figure 1.11 Government support and subsidies received…………………………... 22-23

Figure 2.1Procurement of Stock…………………………………………………….. 26

Figure 2.2 Number of Procurement per week………………………………………. 27

Figure 2.3 Presence of farmers and agents supplying vegetables ……...................... 28

Figure 2.4 Customer Preference of Organic over Inorganic………………….......... 29

Figure 2.5 Which product do you sell more?............................................................. 30

Figure 2.6 Contract suppliers……………………………………………………….. 31

Figure 2.7 Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is more supplier? 32

Figure 2.8 Willingness to support the mission of going fully organic by 2020.......... 33

Acronyms

BAFRA: Bhutan Agricultural and Food Regulatory Authority

FCB: Food Corporation of Bhutan

IPM: Integrated Pest Management

INM: Integrated Nutrient Management

IFOAM: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

MOA: Ministry Of Agriculture

NRDC: National Resource Defense Council

NFOFB: National Framework for Organic Farming in Bhutan

NEC: National Environment Commission

RNR: Renewable Natural Resource

RGOB: Royal Government of Bhutan

RSPN: Royal Society for Protection of Nature

SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Science

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture

WFP: World Food Program

Table of Contents Contents

Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………………...….…i

Abstract….….….………………………………………………………………………………... ii

List of Table………………………………………………………………………………………iii

List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………….v

Acronyms…………………………………………………………………………………………vi

Chapter I 11

1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 11

1.2 Problem Statement ........................................................................................................... 12

1.3 Objective ......................................................................................................................... 13

1.4 Research questions........................................................................................................... 13

1.5 Scope of the study ............................................................................................................ 13

1.6 Limitation of the study ..................................................................................................... 14

1.7 Hypothesis ....................................................................................................................... 15

Chapter II 16

2.1 Literature Review ............................................................................................................ 16

Chapter III 19

Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 19

Chapter IV 22

4.1 Data Analysis and Interpretation ...................................................................................... 22

4.2 Farmers Cross Tabulation ................................................................................................ 45

4.3 Market Cross Tabulation .................................................................................................. 54

4.4 Hypothesis Testing .......................................................................................................... 57

Chapter V 60

5.1 Findings ........................................................................................................................... 60

5.2 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 63

5.3 Recommendations............................................................................................................ 64

Appendix I II III

Chapter I

1.1 Introduction

Organic Farming is not using artificial chemicals in the growing of plants and animals for food

and other products. The method of organic farming dates back to the time of earliest civilization

when people started to grow crops near their shed. Organic farming method flourished till 18th

century when chemicals interfered into farming methods. After the industrial revolution had

introduced inorganic methods, some of which were not well developed and had serious side

effects, an organic movement began in the mid-1920s in Central Europe through the work of

Rudolf Steiner1, who created biodynamic agriculture, an early version of organic agriculture.

In case of Bhutan, it is a small country in the core of the Himalaya surrounded by the world’s

most developed and advanced countries. With 79% of the population engaged in farming2, its

subsistence agriculture is gradually shifting to semi-commercial operations. With majority

population engaged in farming, the RGOB also provides huge support and priority for

development of agricultural sector. Ministry of agriculture supported the farmers with seeds,

farm machinery, fertilizers, and many other advanced technologies at least or free of cost.

When Bhutan provided chemical fertilizers to its farmers, their yield increased and pests and

weeds were eradicated for the first few years, but it was realized as a mistake only in 2002 when

the nation planned to formulate a framework for organic farming. The formulation of framework

started in 2002 and took five years to complete when the nation officially announced it in 20073.

Organic farming is a labor and knowledge intensive farming but in Bhutan there is shortage of

labor. There are many departments like RNR, BAFRA, NEC and many others who are working

to comply with the nation’s mission of going fully organic by 2020. The government hopes to

1 Paull John (2011). "Attending the First Organic Agriculture Course 1924

2, 3 Promoting organic farming in Bhutan, 2008

develop and promote organic farming as a way of life among Bhutanese farmers and trade in

organic produce to enhance their incomes.

1.2 Problem Statement

Sustainability of organic farming is endangered due to many reasons and has become a major

concern to the country and its people. The RGOB has set a mission to make Bhutan fully organic

by 2020. Introduction to synthetic chemicals, import of more inorganic products, leaving land

barren, farmers migrating to urban area causing labor constraints, and many others have become

a challenge in improving organic farming in the country. (A guide to organic farming in Bhutan 2007) In

Tashigang, most of the farmers prefer to use chemical fertilizers over organic manure (Bhutan

Observer, 11th

Feb. 2011). This might have happened due to few or no livestock to produce organic

manure. Other reasons may be due to increase in yield with the use of chemical fertilizers and

unawareness of its adverse effect.

In Chukha Dzongkhag, studies reveal that the organic farm products are dominated by inorganic

farm products and farming practices (Annual Dzongkhag statistics 2010). Despite favorable climatic

conditions, farm productivity is low due to rugged terrain and limited farming infrastructure and

facilities. To attain the nation’s organic goal and to sustain organic farming, it is important that

organic farming gives good returns and less challenges. There could be many unspoken

challenges for these organic farmers who are gradually shifting to inorganic farming along with

those who are already into inorganic farming practices.

1.2.1 Importance of the Problem

Since the concept of organic farming is new to many farmers practicing inorganic farm, it is

important to know the constraints and suggest solutions for sustaining and improving organic

farming. As Chukha is the main entry point for import and a commercial hub of the country it is

important to concentrate on reducing excessive import of inorganic farm products and improve

the organic standard of the native farmers. Since Chukha is very near to India, there is every

chance that the organic farmers may be lured to the practice of inorganic farming. It is not too

late to retain the organic farmers and convert other inorganic farms into organic farming

practices.

1.3 Objective

1. To study the sustainability of organic farming in Chukha Dzongkhag.

2. To identify the challenges in promoting organic farming.

1.4 Research questions

1. To what extent has the practice of organic farming changed?

2. What are the different challenges faced in organic farming and how can they be

overcome?

3. What are some of the reasons that have led farmers to practice organic farming? Is it by

choice or by compulsion?

4. What are some of the essential supports required from government in order to enhance the

practice of organic farming as well as commercializing?

5. What are the reasons for non commercialization of organic products?

6. Has profitability of organic products changed over the years and why?

1.5 Scope of the study

This study will cover only some part of Chukha Dzongkhag due to various constraints like time

and other resources. It will cover rural as well as urban places of the Dzongkhag. Other factors4

related to agricultural farming will be discussed to the extent that they have a bearing on organic

farming. The following are the details of the areas covered;

The study will concentrate on vegetable farming and marketing

The study will be conducted in some specific places of Chukha Dzongkhag

Both rural and urban places will be covered for data collection

Phuentsholing, Pasakha and Gedu vegetable market will be covered.

4 Irrigation channel, road network, labor, total land holding etc.

1.6 Limitation of the study

Villages were scattered and separated with hills and forest with poor road and foot paths.

The survey period was limited to one week and we couldn’t reach to distant places due to

rough terrains and wet forest.

While interviewing the farmers, they responded based on memory as they do not have the

practice of keeping farm records. Further, some farmers were reluctant to provide correct

information regarding land holding and income from cash crop due to fear of tax.

Farmers and merchants perceived us as government officials and complained about many

personal problems diverting our time in other matters.

Most farmers use local measurement units that differ from place to place. Instead of

reporting in Kg and Acre they usually report in langdo, bjey, bags, baskets, which not

only create difficulties in compilation but also affect the quality of data in terms of area

and production.

Since some of the group members were not fluent in Nepali and Hindi, it took quite a

time for the group to interpret the questionnaires to the market vendors in Phuentsholing

and other southern part of the Dzongkhag.

Market vendors were busy with their customers since we happened to interview them

during government holiday (Sunday) when customers visiting market is at peak hours.

Quantity of vegetable Products in market differ from season to season. The data collected

revealed huge commercialization in terms of organic products as it was harvesting season

in Bhutan. The data collected in terms of quantity of vegetables sold or purchased may

however contradict those collected in off seasons.

1.7 Hypothesis

In regard to the above problem, the research team has set the following hypothesis to see if

organic farming can be sustained in Chukha and Bhutan as a whole. It is also to see if there are

possibilities that the vegetable market will support in sustaining organic farming and going fully

organic.

Hypothesis test 1

H0: there is no relation between the kind of manure used and commercial farming.

H1: there is relation difference between the kind of manure used and commercial farming.

Hypothesis test 2

H0: there is no relation between difficulties in transporting & commercialization.

H1: there is relation between the difficulties in transporting & commercialization.

Hypothesis test 3

H0: there is no relation between road accessibility and kind of manure used.

H1: there is relation between road accessibility and kind of manure used.

Chapter II

2.1 Literature Review

According to IFOAM5 defines the overarching goal of organic farming as: "Organic agriculture

is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on

ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of

inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to

benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all

involved…"

Beginning of organic farming has started ever since the evolution of farming and cultivation

practice. Fully organic food production dates back to prehistoric times when human being grew

food to survive. Artificial fertilizers had been invented during the 18th century, initially with

superphosphates and then ammonia-based fertilizers mass-produced using the sophisticated

process developed during World War I. “These early fertilizers were cheap, powerful, and easy

to transport in bulk. Similar advances occurred in chemical pesticides in the 1940s, leading to the

decade being referred to as the 'pesticide era'”. (Horne, Paul Anthony, 2008 integrated pest

management for crops and pastures).

In the 1980s organic agriculture began to receive renewed attention when the United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) published their Report and Recommendations on Organic

Farming. These reports and the awareness raised as a result, culminated in the Federal Organic

Foods Production Act in 1990. This Act established the framework to create National Organic

Standards (Heckman, 2006). There are also countries where the concept of organic farming was

brought into existence through the demand of organic products. In 1988, the Primary and Allied

Industries Council produced a report titled ‘Implications of increasing world demand for

organically grown food’. By 1990’s organic products occupied prime shelf space in the large

supermarkets & organic farms were clustered near Australia’s big cities (Kondinin Group, 2000).

5 “Definition of Organic Agriculture”. IFOAM. http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/definitions/doa/index.html. retrieved

27/8/2012

http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/definitions/doa/index.html

Plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as micronutrients and symbiotic

relationships with fungi and other organisms to flourish. On the other hand, getting enough

nitrogen and other soil nutrient at the right time is likely the greatest challenge for organic

farmers. Crop rotations help to provide nitrogen through legumes which fix nitrogen from the

atmosphere through symbiosis with rhizobial bacteria (Watson CA, Atkinson D, Gosling P,

Jackson LR, Rayns FW. (2002). Intercropping, which is sometimes used for insect and disease

control, can also increase soil nutrients, but the competition between the legume and the crop can

be problematic and wider spacing between crop rows is required (Gillman J. 2008).

For smooth and effective progress of sustaining organic farming, it also important to look at the

basic input- “seed”. According to Micaela Colley and Matthew Dillon in the article, ‘The next

challenge; Breeding seed for organic systems’ they have mentioned three distinct forms of plant

breeding: formal, farmer and participatory. Formal breeding can be either public or private, and

is conducted by professional scientists with the goal of releasing new varieties for the market.

Farmer breeding is often referred to as "Seed Saving," wherein the farmer selects plants from

crops in production that possess desirable qualities and then collects seed from them for future

planting. The participatory breeding model is a combination of formal and farmer breeding. It

can take one of two modes: the participation of farmers in formal led research or the participation

of science professionals in farmer led research.

Bhutan was recently introduced to organic when the ministry of agriculture released the

framework for organic farming in Bhutan 2007. The Framework outlines key approaches and

strategies to promote organic farming in the country. It hopes to develop and promote organic

farming as a way of life among Bhutanese farmers and trade in organic produce to enhance their

incomes (Promoting Organic Farming in Bhutan 2008). The policy in the form of the National

Framework for Organic Farming in Bhutan (NFOFB) is the first of its kind in the country.

Besides this framework, the country has many agriculture sectors around the country to support

and promote agriculture related activities. As of 2011, Bhutan has 139 RNR extension centers, 4

RNR research centers, 40 agriculture extension centers, 11 Agriculture seed production farms, 3

Farm mechanization centers, 51 Livestock extension centers. (Bhutan at a Glance, 2011).

Since Bhutan is a large agrarian country, 80% of the Bhutanese populations live in rural areas

and they directly depend on agriculture and livestock as their livelihoods. Nearly 65,000 farming

households are scattered in small and remote villages. Each village comprises of a dozen to

hundred households or families (Statistical Yearbook of Bhutan, 2004). Sustainability of organic

farming is not a big issue in Bhutan as most of the farmers are dependent on agriculture.

However it is important that the concerned authorities seek the public cooperation and work hand

in hand with all the actors in sustaining and promoting organic farming. Sustainable agriculture

improves food security by improving the quality and nutritional value of the food and producing

a wider range of produce throughout the year (GTZ Sustainet, 2006).

In some countries, organic farming produce better yield than inorganic farming practices. These

high yields are obtained when farmers incorporate intensive agro-ecological techniques, such as

crop rotation, cover cropping, agro-forestry, addition of organic fertilizers, or more efficient

water management. In some instances, organic-intensive methods resulted in higher yields than

conventional methods for the same crop in the same setting (the system of rice intensification)

(Organic agriculture and the global food supply, 2006).

2.2 Description of the study area (Chukha Dzongkhag)

Chukha Dzongkhag is located along the Thimphu Phuentsholing highway and has one

Drungkhag and 11 Gewogs. It covers an area of 1,882.38 Sq. Km. with elevations ranging from

200 to 3500m above sea level. It has a total arable land of 4.63 percent of the total land. The

average landholding is 5.6 acres per household. Majority of the people depend on livestock and

subsistence agricultural farming. Mandarin, potatoes and cardamom are the principal cash crops

in the Dzongkhag. Despite favorable climatic conditions, farm productivity is low due to rugged

terrain and limited farming infrastructure and facilities (Annual Dzongkhag Statistics 2010).

Chukha is the main entry and exit point for import and export as well as the commercial hub of

the country. Most of the inorganic agriculture products are imported and supplied to other places

from Phuentsholing.

Chapter III

Methodology

Chukha Dzongkhag was selected for the survey and the team covered as many as 5 villages

comprising both villages where there is accessibility to road and no accessibility to road.

The sampling method that we used is multi-stage sampling. We chose Chukha Dzongkhag as our

focal place because of the time constraint, cost involved and the proximity. We have selected

five villages, viz., Tshimasham, Chapcha, Tala, Chungkha and Ketokha. Selection of village is

based on the distance between the road and the village. We have taken some samples which are

near to road and some samples which are away from the road. Ketokha and Chungkha are away

from the road and other villages are nearer to the road. In Ketokha and Chungkha it is thinly

populated and we wanted to cover all the households as they were practicing organic farming.

But in other villages, we picked the required households.

3.1 Research Methods

Both primary and secondary data has been collected. Primary sources are questionnaires and in

depth interviews. For supporting facts and figures, the team employed secondary data from

various sources viz. internet, journals, news papers and books.

3.1.1 Survey Method

The entire research is carried out through Exploratory Interview method and structured

questionnaire. As for employing the survey method to collect data, some number of questions

has been set up to be answered by respondents who are given their freedom of expressing their

views and ideas. The questions also consist of open - ended questions.

3.1.2 Collection of Data

The preparation of this project has been based on a larger proportion of the information being

collected from primary source of data whereby questionnaires and in depth interviews were used

to retrieve information.

3.1.3 Sample size

The total number of population out of the selected villages was 230 households and for this study

the calculated sample size is 144 which were calculated using 95% significance level. We have

also added additional sample size of 15 household to get relevant information. After finding the

total sample size the proportion of sample in each village was calculated which is shown below:

Determination of Sample size:

Sample size n=144 to be drawn from a population size N=230 which are divided into five strata

of size:

No. Village Total No. of household Sample size

1 Chapcha 52

2 Tshimasham 38

3 Tala 45 144

4 Chungkha 45

5 Ketaykha 50

Now we will find the proportion of sample size under different strata:

Chapcha = =33

Tsimasham = =24

Tala = =28

Chungkha = =28

Ketokha = =31

We have added 8 and 7 sample size to Chungkha and Ketaykha respectively to get more relevant

information.

Thus, using proportional allocation, the sample size for different strata are 33,24,28,36 and 38

respectively.

3.1.4 Analytical Tools

For analyzing the data, the team has used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 11.5) for

plotting the graph and to draw charts. Microsoft excel has also been used for the modification of

the graphs. The group has used the cross tabulation tool, chi-square and frequency table in SPSS.

Chi-square:

Chi-square is used to test the hypotheses between two variables. The Pearson's Chi-square is

used to determine whether an association between two variables is independent or dependent.

Frequency Table:

Frequency table is used to analyze the data by presenting it in a suitable tabular and graphical

format.

Charts:

Pie Charts and Bar Charts are used to get a clear and quick view of the data.

Chapter IV

4.1 Data Analysis and Interpretation

4.1.1 Farmers Data Interpretation

Table 1.1: Kinds of manure used

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Organic manure 79 49.7 49.7 49.7

Synthetic chemicals 2 1.3 1.3 50.9

Both(more of chemicals) 1 .6 .6 51.6

Both(more of organic) 77 48.4 48.4 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Figure 1.1: Kind of manure used

Analysis of the data

From the data collected among 159 households, we found that majority of the farmers use

organic manure or more of organic than synthetic chemicals. In case of villages located far from

the market and where commercial farming is not so popular, organic manure served adequate for

self consumption and other domestic purposes. Farmers with access to road and market used

organic manure to triumph the market with their organic products eg. Chungkha

77 households used both (more of organic) and the reasons for using chemical fertilizers are due

to the availability and easy accessibility. Few years back the government distributed chemical

fertilizers to the farmers of Tala village, since then most of the farmers have been practicing

inorganic farming. Bjachog and Chapcha areas have private agencies who supply chemical

fertilizers. Farmers in these places shared that they were unaware of the adverse affect of

synthetic chemicals which they now experience and are planning to revert back to organic

manures.

Table 1.2 Increase of households using chemical fertilizers


Valid Yes 60 75.9 75.9 75.9 No 19 24.1 24.1 100.0

Total 79 100.0 100.0

Increase of Households using chemical fertilizer

24.1%

75.9%

No

Yes

Fig. 1.2: Increase of households using chemical fertilizers


Out of 79 households practicing inorganic farming, 75.9%, consisting of 60 households says that

the number of people using chemical fertilizers have increased in their village. Places like

Chapcha has private agents supplying fertilizers and the farmers using chemical fertilizers

increased since then. In case of Tala, the farmers enjoyed the luxury of free chemical fertilizers

in past few years and they were influenced thereafter. Other reasons for the increase in

households using chemical fertilizers are neighbor influence, low effort, better yield, etc. Some

farmers even had to make the use of chemicals a mandatory practice as they think that if they do

not use synthetic chemicals, their yields may decrease.

Some farmers observed a decrease in households using synthetic chemicals in their village. The

reason as shared by them were due to the increase in price, and their advancement in studying the

effect of using such chemicals viz. soil getting hard, killing of many helpful insects, new diseases

etc. There were also places where district agriculture officers advised them about the negative

impact of the chemicals and trained them in resorting to other organic means of cultivating like

organic manure, compost, crop rotation, field fallow and organic methods of controlling pest.

Table1.3 Awareness of the effect of chemicals


Valid Yes 126 79.2 79.2 79.2

No 33 20.8 20.8 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Awareness of the effect of chemicals

20.8%

79.2%

No

Yes

Figure 1.1: Awareness of the effect of chemicals


79.2% of the respondents observed their soil turning hard and becoming very infertile which

made it difficult to plough and consequently giving low yield. 20.8% were not aware of such

adverse effects and most of these farmers were from the rural villages where they did not use

such chemicals. Not knowing the drawback of chemical fertilizers, few respondents even shared

their wish to boost their yield with chemical fertilizers. For instance, the farmers of Ketokha

expect free chemical fertilizers from the government, which contradicts the interest of sustaining

and promoting organic farming. Some farmers do not care of the adverse effect of using

chemicals in their farmland as far as they get what they want from it.

Respondents from Tala village shared that they know the adverse effect of using chemicals to

their soil, crops and health but had to use it as their soil have been degraded due to use of

chemical in the past. The research team shared other problems related to excessive use of

chemicals with those who are unaware.

Table 1.4 Difficulties faced in collecting and generating manure


Valid Yes 76 47.8 47.8 47.8

No 83 52.2 52.2 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Difficulties in collecting and generating manure

52.2%

47.8%

No

Yes

Figure1.4: Difficulties in collecting and generating manure


Collecting and generating manure in this project includes ways of gathering raw materials like

pine leaf, oak leaf, other tree leaf, bush and plants from the environment for decomposition by

micro organisms like bacterium or fungus and procuring animal waste from their sheds.

52.2% consisting 83 respondents shared that they do not face much difficulty in generating

manure. They had community forest near their village for dry leafs. Chapcha for instance has

plenty of pine leaf and oak leaf. Ketokha village in Bongo Gewog also face the least difficulty as

farmers had huge herd of cattle and they tie their cattle in their farm land to generate manure.

On the contrary, places like Mebesa and others of Bjachog Gewog faced more difficulty in

generating manure since the cattle were raised away from the farmland and it was cumbersome

to carry the manure on their back. They even lack knowledge of making decomposition pit.

Table 1.5 Adequacy of water supplies


Valid Yes 114 71.7 71.7 71.7 No 45 28.3 28.3 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Adequate water supply

28.3%

71.7%

No

Yes

Figure 1.5: Adequacy of water supplies to their farmland


71.1% of the respondents have proper water supply. According to the data collected from various

places, only 28.3% had improper irrigation channel to their fields. Chapcha Geog previously had

a good irrigation channel but due to lack of maintenance and natural disaster, the channels were

damaged and they depend on rainfall for cultivation.

In case of Bongo Geog, irrigation channels were destroyed from many places due to construction

of road. To our knowledge from the survey, irrigation channel and water supply will contribute

highly to cultivation since the people are willing to cultivate even in winter had there been

continuous water supply. Some households received greenhouse facilities but they could not use

it in winter due to shortage of water.

Chukha Dzongkhag is a wet area and receives huge and continuous rainfall in summer seasons.

However it is a problem if plantation were to be practiced in winter. There are also places in

remote areas where houses are scattered and have not received the support in terms of irrigation

channel since it was cost intensive to connect all scattered villages with water supply.

Table 1.6 Cultivation for Commercial Purposes


Valid Yes 94 59.1 59.1 59.1

No 65 40.9 40.9 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Commercial Purpose

40.9%

59.1%No

Yes

Figure 1.6: Cultivation for commercial Purpose


Most of the farmers commercialize the crops they grow. They said that they either sell their

crops in the nearby streets or carry their stocks to the cities where the market is large. 59.1% of

the farmers commercialize their products. Chungkha village has Agriculture Association which

encourages the farmers to grow beans of various types and is collected by the association to be

sold in Thimphu. Similarly, Tala is planning to come up with one such association for better

market of their products.

40.9% of the households still do not commercialize the crops they grow. This is either due to

cultivation for self consumption or they do not have a good knowledge of the present market

situation. To the date of this survey, most of the villages either do not have good market or lacks

proper transportation facilities to transport and sell their products. Most of the farmers however

have keen interest in commercializing their products. In some cases, plans of forming agriculture

associations have failed due to lack of trust and confidence. Such incident recently happened in

Ketokha prior to the teams visit.

Table 1.7 Difficulties in transporting farm product to the market


Valid Yes 84 52.8 52.8 52.8

No 75 47.2 47.2 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Difficulties in transporting the product to the market

47.2%

52.8%

No

Yes

Figure 1.7: Difficulties in transporting farm products to the market


Difficulty in transportation of farm products to the market is one of the major problems in remote

villages besides their interest in commercializing their products. Farmers had to carry the output

either on their back or by mule and horse. Places with transportation problems were less affected

by fertilizers and other chemicals and thus the research team could see few pockets of sustained

organic farming practices. As presented in the figure 1.7, 52.8% consisting 84 households have

difficulty in transporting their products to the market. Never the less, the problems are at the arm

length to be solved as road construction and repairs are moving at good pace. If transportation

problem is solved, there could be greater risk to the remaining pockets of organic farming

practices. For instance the farmers of Chapcha, Tala and Ketokha are so keen to purchase

synthetic chemicals for their farmland had it been transported easily. They even have

expectations for free supply of fertilizers and chemicals by the government.

Villages like Chungkha and Chapcha do not face much difficulty in transporting their product to

the market, yet they shared their view of having better market facility near their home town for

better and faster trading of their products.

Table 1.8 Increase in the profitability of organic products


Valid Yes 126 79.2 79.2 79.2

No 33 20.8 20.8 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Figure 1.8: Increase in profitability of organic product


The above graph reveals the profitability of organic vegetables and it is observed that most of the

respondents believe that profitability has increased comparing to past years. In some cases it is

true that profitability has increased as a result of better market facility and increase in demand for

organic vegetables. In the past the farmers grew vegetables for self consumption only but at

present most of the farmers are growing vegetables for sale. For instance, in Chungkha village

the Agriculture Association is helping the farmers to sell their vegetables in the market. So the

profitability has increased over the years.

However in some cases there is no change in the profitability over the years. The reasons for

such constraint or decrease in profitability are either due to poor market facility, high investment

during plantation, transportation cost and natural causes. In some cases, profitability remains

constant of no profit due to non existence of better commercial related infrastructures. In

Ketokha it is very cumbersome for the farmers to carry the vegetables on their back.

Table 1.9 Will you commercialize your product if there is better market?


Valid Yes 153 96.2 96.2 96.2

No 6 3.8 3.8 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0 Will you commercialise your product if there is better market?

3.8%

96.2%

No

Yes

Figure 1.9: willingness of farmers to commercialize their farm products


Figure 1.9 shows the willingness of farmers in commercializing their product. Considering in

mind that sustainability of organic farming needs a market for the sale of excess farm products,

the research team asked the farmers if they were willing to sell their product if there are good

market facilities. There is no doubt that if given the opportunity, the famers would definitely like

to make their earnings through sale of the crops they grow in their fields. They stated that they

are willing to get involved into the market for the sale of their crops if the market offers them

good opportunities and prices. Almost 96.2% of the farmers said they would want to improve

their subsistence farming practice to a more advanced and commercial one.

There are still few households who do not go for commercializing their products. Observed from

the survey conducted, the team understood that they were not opposing the opportunity but they

had their own constraints. Some farmers were old and their children were far-gone in towns to

help them. Others shared similar reasons of children being gone to job or schools and leaving

only a small bunch of labor in the house as well as village. Some even have problem of small

landholding which would only serve the inmates and says they cannot afford to produce for sale.

Table 1.10 Source of labor force


Valid Home based labor 131 82.4 82.4 82.4

Paid labor 28 17.6 17.6 100.0

Total 159 100.0 100.0

Labour force

17.6%

82.4%

Paid labor

Home based labor

Figure 1.10: Source of labor


Labor force employed as shown in figure 1.10, are mostly of home based labor where villagers

help each other in rotation basis. Almost 82.4 % of them said they employ home based labor.

They find it more effective in terms of cost as well as outcome. Small farm holders were okay

with home based labor.

However, in some cases, where there are few members in the family working in the farm, paid

labor was the only source to rely on. In one incident, the farmer was a shopkeeper and was all

alone to run both his shop and his fields. He shared his view of not being able to repay his

neighbors labor and thus had to resort to paid labor to complete his work in the stipulated time.

There are also cases where families resort to paid labor as they were old and their children were

out for other income sources. Due to all these various reasons, 17.6% of the households resort to

paid labors.

Table 1.11 Government support and subsidies received

Government Support Frequency Percent

Making pit for decomposition 41 26%

Irrigation channels 113 71%

Seeds 155 98%

Plastic sheets 114 72%

Trainings 149 94%

Micro finance(low interest) 18 11%

Tools and Infrastructure 55 35%

Figure 1.11: Government support and subsidies received


Decomposition pit

Places near town and road had no cattle to produce manure as that of the remote villages.

Chapcha for instance, is interested in decomposition pit but lacked the knowledge and labor. Few

people in this area received training but they had no supporters. The people are fortunate to

receive training and guidance from the government but they did not receive other support in

terms of finance, tools, etc.

Irrigation channels

Almost all of the places received support in terms of irrigation channel but due to lack of

maintenance and proper care, most of them lie damaged. In all the places the research team has

covered, there was either good irrigation or ruins of the channel. Natural disaster (soil erosion,

land slide, earthquake, boulders etc.), development activities (construction of roads, buildings)

have the main cause of damage on irrigation channel.

Seeds

The government is spending lots of budget in procuring seeds and distributing it to the villages.

Around 97.5% of the villages are provided with the seeds from the government. And only 2.5%

of them are not to receive government seeds. Through the survey conducted, we found out that

most of the farmers are dependent on the seeds provided by the government. If the government

does not provide them with seeds then they don’t grow those vegetables.

Greenhouse facilities/plastic sheets

In order to boost production and attain food security, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forest

provided green house facility to some section of the villages. Around 71.7% of the villagers were

provided with green house facility and that really helped them in the improvement in terms of

yield. But there are some sections of the villages where green house facility is not provided by

the government.

Trainings

The government not just only protects the environment but also train the farmers to help them

grow more food in new methods and persuade to be self-sufficient. The farmers said that the

government officials come to their village twice or thrice a year and train them how to grow

vegetables in new methods.

Micro finance

The government provides micro finance to the farmers so that they can improve their farming

practice but the villagers feel unsafe to mortgage their land farm. Thus many do not go for micro

finance and some are even not aware of such facility. Farmers’ indulging in getting micro

finance is 18% and rest does not go for it or don’t know about such loans.

Tools and infrastructures

Ministry of Agriculture and Forest motivates farmers to practice organic farming by providing

tools and infrastructures. The farmers who go for large production are provided with tools and

infrastructures like spades, hoes, etc. but the farmers who have less land and those who practice

subsistence farming are deprived of this benefit. Through our survey we came to know that

65.4% of the farmers are getting this benefit. On the other hand 34.6% of the total population is

deprived of this benefit.

4.1.2 Open-ended farmers Questionnaires Interpretation

What influenced you to practice of inorganic farming?

Better yield Low effort Pest control Weed control Availability of chemicals

33 14 9 13 30

Softens soil Better quality Low investment Free agrochemicals Neighbor influence

28 10 19

To answer this question, farmers recollected their past memory on what influenced them to

practice inorganic farming. There were various answers to this question like weed control, better

yield, and availability of chemicals and so on. 33 households practice inorganic farming for the

want of better yield and 30 households due to availability of chemical fertilizers. There are also

farmers who practice inorganic farming due to the influence of neighbors. According to the data

collected, farmers also believe that farmers use synthetic chemicals for better quality of farm

products. Other factors like pest control and weed control are some of other factors which

influenced farmers to practice inorganic farming.

What makes you practice organic farming? (Is it by choice or by compulsion?)

Some villages practice organic farming just because they do not have other options to rely on.

Places like Ketokha, where there are no proper road network and access to synthetic chemicals,

homemade manures are the only option for them. However there are also farmers in these places

who are not at all interested in going for the use of synthetic chemicals since they have enough

cattle and homemade manure. Other places that are near to road and have access to chemicals

also choose not to practice inorganic farming. Chungkha farmers for instance are not interested

in using chemicals as they know the adverse effect and also they have government advisors who

motivate them to go organic. Other reason for practicing organic farming is due to good soil

fertility, farming traditions, high investment and expensive chemicals.

What government assistance do you expect?

This question is seeking the needs and wants of the farmers and thus has many types of

responses from the farmers. Farmers who are accessible to road and synthetic chemicals have

different wants like market facilities and advanced machinery etc. on the other hand those who

are away from the road expects the government to provide them with good transportation

facilities.

This question does not imply that government is not helping the farmers rather it is the interest of

the survey to know the necessities of the farmers so as to find solutions and suggestions to

sustain and help organic farming.

4.1.3 Market Analysis

Table 2.1Procurement of Stock


Valid Importers 6 14.3 14.3 14.3

Farmers 7 16.7 16.7 31.0

Own Farm 6 14.3 14.3 45.2

Exporters 4 9.5 9.5 54.8

Both(Importers & Farmers) 19 45.2 45.2 100.0

Total 42 100.0 100.0

Figure 2.1: Procurement of Stock


Through the survey conducted, we found out that almost every vendor selling vegetables procure

their stock from both the neighboring country India (Phalakatta, Silguri and Mangalburi) and

farmers from Paro, Punakha and Wangdi on a contract basis. The farmers of Bhutan auction their

farm products in Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB) and the vendors procure the required

vegetables from this corporation. There are also some vendors who sale vegetables which they

grow in their own fields.

Table 2.2 Number of Procurement per week


Valid Once 9 21.4 21.4 21.4

Twice 17 40.5 40.5 61.9

More 16 38.1 38.1 100.0

Total 42 100.0 100.0

Figure 2.2: Number of procurement per week


We can see very clearly that most of the vendors procure vegetables more than twice a week.

Those who procure once a week are the farmers who sell vegetables which are grown in their

own field and the vendors who procure the vegetables from Paro, Wangdiphodrang and Punakha

on a contract basis. The contract suppliers bring the vegetables every Saturday.

Table 2.3 Do farmers or agents supply organic products to your shop?


Valid Yes 16 38.1 38.1 38.1

No 26 61.9 61.9 100.0

Total 42 100.0 100.0

Do farmers or agents supply organic products to your shop?

61.9%

38.1%

No

Yes

Figure 2.3: Farmers or agents supply products to shop.


In most of the cases, there are no agents or supplier who supplies the stock to the door step of the

shopkeepers. The stocks have to be procured by themselves from the farmers, FCB, Silguri,

Phalakata, Mangalburi and in some cases they procure from their own farm. In the above

diagram, 61.9% of the shopkeepers do not have agents or suppliers who supply stocks to their

shop. 38.1% of the shopkeepers have suppliers. These shopkeepers are mostly Indian and deal in

inorganic products business. They have agents who supply vegetables in regular interval to the

shopkeepers. There are also other Bhutanese shopkeepers who have suppliers from various

places like Wangdiphodrang, Paro and Punakha.

Table 2.4 Customer Preference of Organic over Inorganic


Valid Yes 28 66.7 66.7 66.7

No 9 21.4 21.4 88.1

Don’t know 5 11.9 11.9 100.0 Total 42 100.0 100.0

Customer Preference Of Organic over Inorganic

11.9%

21.4%

66.7%

Dont know

No

Yes

Figure 2.4 Customer Preference of Organic over Inorganic


Most of the vendors said that the consumers prefer more of organic vegetables as compared to

inorganic vegetable. They said that this could probably be due to their awareness of the impact of

consuming inorganic products and benefits of consuming organic vegetables. Almost 66.7% of

them stated that the buyers prefer organic products over inorganic. But there are also 21.4% of

them who said that buyers do not prefer organic over inorganic. They said that this could be

because usually buyers do not ask anything regarding whether the vegetables are inorganic or

organic. Besides there are also 11.9% of the vendors who said that they have no idea regarding

the buyers’ preference since they themselves acquire the vegetables from suppliers and have no

idea whether the vegetables are organic or not. And moreover consumers also do not make any

inquiry while buying most of the time. But what we have learnt from this questionnaire is that

greater margins of the people prefer to consume organic products as compared to inorganic

products. So it is conclusive to say that even the people are towards going fully organic since it

gives them more benefits when compared to the consumption of inorganic products.

Table 2.5 Which product do you sell more?


Valid Organic 22 52.4 52.4 52.4

Inorganic 15 35.7 35.7 88.1

Don’t Know 5 11.9 11.9 100.0

Total 42 100.0 100.0

Which product do you sell more?

11.9%

35.7%

52.4%

Dont Know

Inorganic

Organic

Figure 2.5 Which product do you sell more?


According to the survey conducted in Phuentsholing, Pasakha and three other markets, the result

show that there are more people who prefer organic vegetables than that of inorganic and

imported ones. In case of vegetable sellers at Chapcha, they sell only organic vegetables and do

not sell that of inorganic. Most of the shopkeepers do not know about the kind of product they

are selling but customers and sellers believe that the products from within Bhutan is organic

There are still huge sellers who sell more of inorganic product and this is due to the insufficiency

of organic products. Some of the respondents directly procure their stock from Silguri,

Phalakatta and Mangalburi. So they have no other products other than the inorganic ones. Few

merchants do not know which product they sell more and this is due to lack of knowledge as they

were assisting their parents in the market and do not work regularly. In figurative terms, 22

merchants sell more of organic products and 15 sell more of inorganic product. 5 of the sellers do

not know which product they sell more.

Table 2.6 Contract suppliers


Valid Yes 19 45.2 45.2 45.2

No 23 54.8 54.8 100.0

Total 42 100.0 100.0

Contract suppliers

54.8%45.2%

NoYes

Figure 2.6 Contract suppliers


Majority of the respondents do not have contract suppliers. Some of them sell the vegetables

from their own farm. Some sellers procure vegetables from farmers of Paro, Wangdiphodrang

and Punakha in a contract basis. Most of the vendors go to procure their stock from Food

Corporation of Bhutan which exports the vegetables they gather from the country’s farmers. In

Phuentsholing market, there were merchants from India dealing in imported vegetables and these

people also get their stock from Silguri, Phalakatta and Mangulbari by themselves. In case of

Gedu market, all the shopkeepers had contract supplier and they procured their stock directly

from their suppliers. They receive twice or thrice in a week and the suppliers deliver the stock to

their door step. However, there were only few people who have organic product suppliers. If the

country could manage to supply organic products to the market sellers, it is possible that organic

farming could expand with better management.

Table 2.7 Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is more supplier?


Valid Yes 40 95.2 95.2 95.2

No 2 4.8 4.8 100.0

Total 42 100.0 100.0

Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is more supplier?

4.8%

95.2%

No

Yes

Figure 2.7 Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is more supplier?


Most of the sellers, i.e., 95.2% are willing to sell more of organic vegetables since the customers

prefer more of organic vegetables than the inorganic vegetables. But they have the fear that they

might not be able to compete with the sellers of inorganic vegetables since inorganic vegetables

are cheaper than the organic vegetables.

There are some section of the sellers, i.e., 4.8% of the respondents said that they are not willing

to sell more of organic vegetables. They said that they would rather prefer to sell inorganic

vegetables. More over most of the customers are low income earners and they prefer vegetables

at a cheaper price. But all in all what most vendors said was that since they are very well aware

of the health impact of inorganic products and knows that organic yield has better quality as

compared to inorganic yield so therefore they would definitely want to acquire more of organic

products if there are more organic suppliers.

Table 2.8 Will you support the nations mission of going fully organic by 2020?


Valid Yes 42 100.0 100.0 100.0

Will you support the plan of going fully organic by 2020?

100.0%

Yes

Figure 2.8 Will you support the mission of going fully organic by 2010?


The sellers said that they will support the government’s goal of attaining full organic by the year

2020 only if there is no competition from the inorganic vegetable sellers. Since the inorganic

vegetables are available in the market at a lower price than the organic vegetables, they have no

choice but to sell inorganic vegetables. Moreover the farmers viewed their opinion saying that

not only by going organic does it help in developing ones personal health but also gives them

much confidence in increasing their yield and productivity in the best possible way. Every

market vendors said that if given the chance they would always choose to go fully organic rather

than relying on inorganic products. This would indeed help in building a future space for the

country to fully resort to organic production and contribute towards sustainable development of

organic farming practices in the country.

4.1.4 Open-ended vendors Questionnaires Interpretation

How do you know that the products are organic or inorganic?

As per our findings we came to an understanding that the market vendors are not well aware

whether the products are organic or inorganic. However what most of them perceives is that local

products are better than the imported products since local products are considered to be fully

organic as compared to imported products that are inorganic and has chemical contents. Most of

the vendor’s basic assumption is that the local products are mostly organic and imported ones

being inorganic. Some vendors also said that they ask the FCB agent when procuring their

products about its origin as to it being organic or not. Moreover they are not sure enough

regarding whether the products are organic or inorganic.

What further assistance do you expect from the government?

Almost every vendor stated that they would be very happy to have a good market place where

they can sell their products. This would create a good place for them to market their products to

the consumers. Along with this several vendors also said that they would like the government to

assist them in providing a cold storage facility because vegetables are perishable and has the risk

of getting perished if not maintained. Therefore a warehouse facility would be very helpful for

them in minimizing their loss of vegetables.

4.2 Farmers Cross Tabulation

Table 3.1 Kind of manure used * Commercial Purpose

Commercial Purpose

Total Yes No

Kind of manure

used

Organic manure 37 44 81

Both(more of

chemicals) 1 0 1

Both(more of

organic) 56 21 77

Total 94 65 159

Analysis of data

44 households do not commercialize their product and use only organic manure. In depth

interview revealed that they have enough organic manure for subsistence farming. 37 households

commercialize and use organic manure. Chungkha village has agriculture associations, and other

villages including Chungkha village have government advisors. The highest figure shows 56

households who commercialize their product and use both (more of organic) manure. They have

good organic manure but they still use synthetic chemicals to boost their production and

reasonably have income to resort to such option.

We can conclude from this cross tabulation that farmers resort to use of chemicals if they

commercialize their product and do not have advisors and associations to guide them towards

organic farming. Government advice and support, agriculture association dealing in organic

products and sufficient organic manure helps in improving organic farming.

Table 3.2 Kind of manure used * Difficulties in transportation

Difficulties in

transportation Total

Yes No

Kind of manure

used


Both(more of

chemicals) 1 0 1

Both(more of

organic) 31 46 77

Total 84 75 159

Analysis of data

52households who face difficulties in transportation uses purely organic and 46 households who

do not face much difficulty in transportation uses chemical fertilizers but more of organic.

Therefore we understand that those who practice pure organic farming are far from the road

accessibility. On the other hand, those who use chemical fertilizer are located near the road and

chemical fertilizers are readily available. So if the government makes a policy to gradually

eradicate the use of intensive chemicals, people will be motivated to quit using synthetic

chemicals.

Table 3.3 Kind of manure used * Awareness of the effect of chemicals

Awareness of the effect of

chemicals Total

Yes No

Kind of manure

used


Both(more of

chemicals) 1 0 1

Both(more of organic) 69 8 77

Total 126 33 159

Analysis of data

56 households who are aware of the effects of chemical fertilizers uses purely organic manure

and 69 households although are aware of the adverse effect of chemical fertilizers opted to use it.

One of the reasons for using chemical fertilizers is in order to boost their yield in the short run.

Another reason is that they had been unaware of adverse effect of using it back then. But at

present even though they are aware of the effects of, they feel that if they don’t use it, their yields

may decrease. So this has led to the continuous use of chemical fertilizers.

So if the Government can suggest some ways and means of improving their soil fertility and

increase their yields, the farmers may not opt for the chemical fertilizers.

Table 3.4 Kind of manure used * Difficulties in collecting and generating manure

Difficulties in collecting

and generating manure Total

Yes No

Kind of manure

used


Both(more of chemicals) 1 0 1

Both(more of organic) 47 30 77

Total 76 83 159

Analysis of data

53 households who do not face difficulties in collecting and generating manure use organic

manure. It is because the cattle sheds are very near to their farmland. But on the other hand there

are 47 households who face difficulties in collecting and generating manure. It is because some

of these farmers have no cattle, some have very few cattle and some cattle sheds are very far

from their farm land. So they resort to the use of chemical fertilizers.

So in conclusion we can say that most of the farmers do not face much difficulty in collecting

organic manure and most of them resort to the use of organic manure. To contribute in achieving

the mission of going fully organic, they can support the farmers in making decomposition pit,

and create more awareness of the negative impact of using chemical fertilizers.

Table 3.5 Commercial Purpose * Difficulties in transporting the product to the market

Difficulties in transporting

the product to the market Total

Yes No

Commercial Purpose Yes 35 59 94

No 49 16 65

Total 84 75 159

Analysis of data

59 households who do not face difficulties in transporting the products to the market go for

commercial purpose. They do not face difficulties in transporting because of the accessibility of

road and Agriculture Association is helping the farmers. On the other hand, 49 households who

face difficulties in transporting the product to the market do not go for commercializing. We can

very clearly see that 35 households face difficulties in transporting but still then they are willing

to commercialize, so if there is some support in transporting the product to the market, the

farmers are willing to commercialize their product.

Table 3.6 Will you commercialize your product if there is better market? * Difficulties in

transporting the product to the market

Difficulties in

transporting the product

to the market Total

Yes No

Will you commercialize your

product if there is better market?

Yes 81 72 153

No 3 3 6

Total 84 75 159

Analysis of data

81 households out of 159 say that they will commercialize the products if there is better market

though they face difficulties in transporting the products to the market. 72 households say that

they will commercialize if there is better market facilities as they do not feel much difficulties in

transporting their product to the market. There are only small portion of the households, i.e., 6

households who say that they will not commercialize even though there is better market

facilities.

So we can conclude that poor market facilities are one of the barriers which obstruct the farmers

from commercializing their products. So if better market facilities and warehouse facilities are

provided, than the farmers are very much interested to commercialize their product.

Table 3.7 Distance from the road * Kind of manure used

Distance from

the road (in

Km.)

Kind of manure used Total

Organic

manure

Both(more of

chemicals)

Both(more

of organic)

Village Chapcha Less than 1 2 1 30 33

Chungkha 5-6 35 0 1 36

Ketaykha 35-40 38 0 0 38

Lower Sourini 3-4 4 0 11 15

Mebesa Less than 1 0 0 12 12

Tshimasham Less than 1 0 0 12 12

Upper Sourini 3-4 2 0 11 13

Total 81 1 77 159

Analysis of data

The kind of manure used by the farmers is mostly of organic manure. 38 farmers and 35 farmers

of Keytaykha and Chungkha respectively, are using more of organic manure compare to other

villages. Keytaykha village is not accessible to road, so the chemical fertilizers are not available

in their village. In Chungkha village, there is farm road but rarely vehicles travel in the village.

And also there is sufficient manure to be used in their field as they are practicing subsistence

farming. Unlike in Chapcha, Lower Sourini, Mebesa, Tshimasham and Upper Sourini they are

depended on chemical as well but more of organic manure. In order to get high yield they are

using little of chemical in addition to organic manure.

So we can conclude that the villages which are nearer to the highways are prone to using

chemical fertilizers and the villages faraway from road are less prone to it.

Table 3.8 Distance from the road * Commercial Purpose

Distance from

the road

Commercial

Purpose Total

Yes No

Village Chapcha Less than 1 32 1 33

Chungkha 5-6 34 2 36

Ketaykha 35-40 1 37 38

Lower Sourini 3-4 1 14 15

Mebesa Less than 1 10 2 12

Tshimasham Less than 1 12 0 12

Upper Sourini 3-4 4 9 13

Total 94 65 159

Analysis of data

From the above cross analysis we understand that most of the farmers in Chungkha, Chapcha,

Tshimasham and Mebesa are selling their product in the market as compared to other villages. In

Chungkha the road is not accessible to their village. But there is agriculture association which

comprises of group of villagers who collect crops in bulk from the local farmers and sell the

product in the market. The vegetable mostly grown for the commercial purpose is bean which is

transported to Thimphu. Other vegetables grown in small quantity are sold at the local area.

In Ketaykha, farmers are not growing crops for the commercial purpose but for their own

consumption. They produce less in quantity. The reason for not going into cash crop production

is because of difficulty in transportation since Ketaykha is far away from the road accessibility as

well as other village. Like that Lower Sourini and Upper Sourini also have no good road

networking. So therefore the factor behind the farmer are not going commercial purpose were

due to the problem of road networking and market facilities although in Chungkha there is no

road access they have association who help them for commercial purpose.

Table 3.9 Distance from the road * Time of shift to inorganic farming (in years)

Distance

from road

(in Km.)

Time of shift to inorganic

farming(in years) Total

0-4 5-8 9-12 13-16

Village Chapcha Less than 1 3 12 13 3 31

Chungkha 5-6 1 0 0 0 1

Lower Sourini Less than 1 8 3 0 0 11

Mebesa 3-4 1 6 2 3 12

Tshimasham Less than 1 3 5 3 1 12

Upper Sourini Less than 1 9 2 0 0 11

Total 25 28 18 7 78

Analysis of data

The adoption of inorganic farming was mostly found in Chapcha village where 13 of the farmers

have shifted to inorganic before 9 to 12 years and 12 farmers before 5 to 8 years. Farmers of

Lower Sourini and Upper Sourini were found to have used inorganic manure since 2008.

Whereby, least number of farmers was found to have used inorganic farming before 13 to 16

years. The earliest shift was due to the fast development and availability of chemical fertilizer in

the location.

4.3 Market Cross Tabulation

Table 4.1 Sources of Procurement of Stock * which product do you sell more?

Which product do you sell more?

Total Organic Inorganic Don’t Know

Procurement of

Stock

Importers 0 6 0 6

Farmers 6 1 0 7

Own Farm 6 0 0 6

Exporters 1 0 3 4

Both(Importers

& Farmers) 7 10 2 19

Total 21 17 5 43


The table shows highest total organic seller (21) and highest procurement done from both

farmers and importers (19). Though the market is located in Phuentsholing, the table shows more

organic seller as the survey was conducted in September when it was harvesting season of

Bhutan and the market was dominated by organic products.

The sale of inorganic products acquired from both the importers and farmers is the highest as

seen from the graph. The market vendors have the highest sales of inorganic products that they

have acquired from the importers since here importers are more concerned with inorganic

products and on the other hand the next highest sales made by the vendors include organic

product which is mainly supplied by farmers and the vendors solely growing organic products in

their own farms whereby they deal with organic farming practices for the production of organic

products in their fields.

Table 4.2 Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is more supplier? *

Customer Preference of Organic over Inorganic

Customer Preference Of Organic over Inorganic

Yes No Don’t know Total

Are you willing to sell more

organic product if there is more

supplier?

Yes 27 9 4 40

No 1 0 1 2

Total 28 9 5 42

Since there are more number of people who prefer organic products over inorganic products as

they are well aware of the ill effects of inorganic products and benefits of consuming organic

products so the market vendors are also willing to sell more organic product if there is more

supplier. With more number of people preferring organic over inorganic, the market vendors see

it as a profitable market to sell more organic products as compared to inorganic products since

they will be able to sell more of their products in the market.

Table 4.3 Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is more supplier? * Contract

suppliers

Contract suppliers Total

Yes No

Are you willing to sell more organic product if there is

more supplier?

Yes

19

21

40

No

0

2

2

Total 19 23 42

Almost all the vendors are willing to sell more organic products if there is more suppliers though

at present only 19 households have contract supplier from Paro, Wangdiphodrang and Punakha.

So we can say that if there are lots of farmers who go for cash crop production, the shopkeepers

are very much willing to sell the products. If the government takes initiative to encourage the

farmers to go for large production, then the achievement of fully organic can be achieved.

Table 4.4 which product do you sell more? * Customer Preference of Organic over

Inorganic

Customer Preference Of Organic

over Inorganic Total

Yes No Don’t know

Which product do you sell more? Organic 18 3 1 22

Inorganic 9 5 1 15

Don’t Know 1 1 3 5

Total 28 9 5 42

The demand for the organic product is more according to the shopkeepers. 18 of the shopkeepers

say that customers prefer more of organic products than inorganic. So if the government

encourages the farmers to produce more organic products, the country can attain fully organic.

4.4 Hypothesis Testing

Chi-Square Test I.

Table 5.1Kind of manure used * Commercial Purpose

Commercial Purpose Total

Yes No

Kind of manure

used


Synthetic chemicals 57 21 78

Total 94 65 159

Let us set up the null hypothesis (H0) and alternative hypothesis (H1):

H0: there is no relationship between the kind of manure used and commercial purpose.

H1: there is relationship between the kind of manure used and commercial purpose.

Chi-Square tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-

Square 12.342 1 .000

At 5% significance level and under 1 degree of freedom the calculated value i.e., 12.342 which is

greater than table value i.e., 3.84, we reject the null hypothesis H0 which means that attributes are

dependent(i.e., there is relation between the kind of manure used and commercializing the

produce).

Chi Square Test II.

Table 5.2 Difficulties in transporting the product to the market * Commercial Purpose

Commercial Purpose Total

Yes No

Difficulties in transporting

the product to the market

Yes

No

35

59

49

16

84

75

Total 94 65 159


H0: there is no relationship between difficulties in transporting & commercialization.

H1: there is relationship between the difficulties in transporting & commercialization.

Chi-Square Tests


Pearson Chi-Square 22.444 1 .000

At 5% significance level and under 1 degree of freedom the calculated value 22.444 which is

greater than table value i.e., 3.84, we reject the null hypothesis H0 which means that the attributes

are dependent(i.e., there is relation between commercialization and the difficulties in transporting

the product to the market).

Chi Square Test III

Table 5.3 Distance from the road* Kind of manure used

Distance in

Kilometers from the

road

Kind of manure used

Total

Organic

manure

Synthetic

chemicals

Village Chapcha Less than 1 2 31 33

Chungkha 5-6 35 1 36

Ketaykha 35-40 38 0 38

Lower Sourini 3-4 4 11 15

Mebesa Less than 1 0 12 12

Tshimasham Less than 1 0 12 12

Upper Sourini 3-4 2 11 13

Total 81 78 159


H0: there is no relationship between village and kinds of manure used.

H1: there is relationship between village and kind of manure used.

Chi-Square Tests


Pearson Chi-

Square 129.083 6 .000

At 5% significance level and under 1 degree of freedom the calculated value 129.083 which is

greater than table value i.e., 12.6, we reject the null hypothesis H0 which means that the

attributes are dependent(i.e., there is relation between the distance and the kinds of manure used).

Chapter V

5.1 Findings

5.1.1 Farmers findings

49.7% of the farmers use organic manure and 48.4% use both (more of organic).

However there is 1.3% who uses purely synthetic chemicals and 0.6% of the households

use both (more of chemicals).

79.9% of the household agrees that the households using chemical fertilizers have

increased and 24.1% does not agree with the same.

79.2% of the household are aware of the effect of chemical fertilizer and the rest of the

20.8% are not aware of its effect.

47.8% of the households face difficulty in collecting and generating manure and 52.2%

does not face any difficulty in doing the same.

71.7% of the households have adequate water supply for their farmland and 28.3% of no

adequate water supply.

59.1% of the households grow vegetables for commercial purpose and 40.9% of them do

not grow for commercial purpose.

52.8% of the households have difficulty in transporting their product to the market and

47.2% of them do not face difficulty in transportation.

79.2% of the households agree that there is change in profitability of organic product and

20.8% does not agree that the increase in profitability has not changed.

96.2% are willing to commercialize their product if there is better market and 3.8% are

not willing to do the same.

82.4% employ’s home based labor and 17.6% rely on paid labor.

Almost all the household (98%) has received support in terms of seed.

94% received support in terms of trainings, 72% in terms of plastic sheets, 71% in terms

of irrigation channel, 35% in terms of tools and infrastructures and 26% in making pit for

decomposition pit.

Only 11% received government support in terms of micro finance and low interest loan.

5.1.2 Market Findings

The highest procurement of stock done by the shopkeepers is done from importers and

farmers. There are only 14.3% of the shopkeepers who procure their stock from their own

farm.

40.5% of the shopkeeper procures their stock twice a week, 38.1% of them procure more

than three times and 21.4% of them procure their stock only once.

38.1% of the shopkeepers have agents supplying organic product to their shop and 61.9%

do not have agents supplying organic product to their shop.

66.7% of the shopkeepers agree that customers prefer organic over inorganic vegetables

and 21.4% does not agree. There are 11.9% who do not know whether customer prefer

organic or inorganic vegetable.

55.4% of the shopkeepers sell more of organic product and 55.7% sell more of inorganic

product. 11.9% do not have correct information.

45.2% of the shopkeepers have contract suppliers and 54.8% do not have contract

suppliers.

95.2% of the shopkeepers are willing to sell their products if there are suppliers dealing

with organic product whereas 4.8% are not willing to sell their product.

There is 100% support from the shopkeepers in helping the government to go fully

organic by 2020.

5.1.3 Findings from cross tabulation

Farmers resort to use of chemicals if they commercialize their product. The chance of

using chemical is higher when there are no advisors and associations towards organic

farming.

Farmers who have difficulty in transportation use organic manure on the other hand

farmers those who are near the roads and having no difficulty in transportation use

synthetic chemicals.

Those farmers who do not find difficulties in collecting and generating manure use more

organic manure. Consequently those farmers who find difficulty in making manure use

some amount of synthetic chemicals.

Farmers who do not face transportation problem commercialize their yield and those who

face difficulty in transportation do not commercialize that much.

All the 38 households surveyed in Ketokha are purely organic practitioners. Mebesa and

Tshimasham households practice inorganic farming. Out of 33 households in Chapcha,

only two households practice organic farming.

Chungkha, Chapcha, Mebesa and Tsimasham have the highest households who

commercialize their yield.

Amongst the village surveyed Chapcha was the first village to be introduced in using

chemical fertilizers. Three households in this place started using chemicals from 13 to 16

years back.

Amongst 42 samples from Phuentsholing vegetable market, 27 shopkeepers are willing to

sell if there are more suppliers of organic product.

5.2 Conclusion

Sustainability of organic farming in Chukha Dzongkhag will not be a problem in the remote

villages where farmers are isolated from synthetic agriculture chemicals. However these places

are at the verge of getting exploited by inorganic methods and practices of farming. Road

networks are improving in all parts of the country which indirectly help farmers to bring in

chemical fertilizers. Construction of road and other infrastructure in rural villages are being done

with the intention to develop rural villages but it may lead to a negative impact in as far as

organic farming is concerned. It is important that government shelter these unexploited farms

and villages as they proceed with rural development activities.

Farmers in urban places are more advanced comparing to that of rural in terms of farming

activities. They use more advanced tools and methods of farming and use synthetic chemicals in

many reasons. The effect of chemicals to their farm land has shown significant result. Quitting

the use of such chemicals is has become difficult to some farmers. Never the less, some places

like Chungkha is a paradigm in the world of organic farming. There are others who intend to quit

using Synthetic chemicals. This is a significant respond that the farmers are willing to go organic

which may take some time but the outcome will be is positive.

In terms of commercialization, farmers add at least some amount of chemicals to their field

which makes the product inorganic. If there are advisors who motivate and help them to stop the

minute use of chemicals and compete the market in terms of quality product, it is possible to

eradicate the inorganic means of farming. This would also improve the income and organic

standard of the agriculture products as a whole. There are also places where farmers do not go

for commercial farming due to lack of markets and other necessities for commercialization of

their products. These places would improve if provided with necessary support and guidance.

In the vegetable market, shopkeepers deal both in organic and inorganic products. During the

time of this survey, there were no organic standards enacted on these products. It was thus a

problem and chaos in differentiating the organic products from inorganic. All stockholders in the

vegetable market assumed that the products grown in Bhutan as organic and imported products

as inorganic. The vegetable dealers and customers complained the disguise of imported

vegetables as organic. Certification of organic products is required to condense the chaos.

5.3 Recommendations

Through our study, we found that the farmers and merchants face problems in storing the

products. So the team suggests developing a post harvest storage infrastructure.

We would like to suggest promoting entrepreneurship and assist in the input supplies like

digging decomposition pit.

Strengthen the linkage between the farmers and the merchants like contract farming

system.

There should be product differentiation between the organic and inorganic product in

terms of labeling and certification.

Remote villages need to be connected with good transportation facility but government

should strictly ban the supply of synthetic Agro chemicals to such places. Some of these

places are the remaining pockets of pure organic practitioners and needs to be preserved

if Bhutan want to produce Bhutan organic brand.

Government should initiate and introduce a separate department who will concentrate on

improvement of organic farming, organic marketing, and all other activities related to

organic farming.

Strengthen Agriculture association network in the country.

Government should slowly ban the import of chemical fertilizers and increase the organic

production within the country.

Government should provide land to the landless that are willing to practice organic

farming.

5.4 Reference

“Bhutan Organic: Himalayan Country Aiming To Phase Out Chemicals From Farming Over

Next Decade” Retrieved on 19th

August 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/bhutan-organic-farming-chemicals-fertilizers-

pesticides_n_1940029.html

“Organic Farming in Australia” Retrieved on 19th August 2012

https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/00-097

Promoting Organic Farming in Bhutan: A Review of Policy, Implementation and Constraints”

Retrieved on 19th

August 2012

www.fao.org/sard/common/ecg/3120/en/BhutanEngNov08case.pdf

“Bhutan at a Glance, 2011” Retrieved on 22nd

August 2012

www.nsb.gov.bt/pub/baag/BAAG%202011.pdf

“Organic Agriculture and the World Food Supply” Retrieved on 27th August 2012

http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/3_advocacy_lobbying/eng_leaflet_PDF/Global_Food_S

upply.pdf

“Annual Dzongkhag Statistics, 2010” Retrieved on 27th

August 2012

http://www.nsb.gov.bt/pub/ads/2010/chhukha.pdf

“Attending the First Organic Agriculture Course: Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course at

Koberwitz, 1924” Retrieved on 4th September 2012

http://www.eurojournals.com/EJSS_21_1_05.pdf

“A guide to organic farming in Bhutan 2007” Retrieved on 4th

September 2012

www.moa.gov.bt/moa/downloads/.../MoADownload8aa2349am.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/bhutan-organic-farming-chemicals-fertilizers-pesticides_n_1940029.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/bhutan-organic-farming-chemicals-fertilizers-pesticides_n_1940029.html

https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/00-097

http://www.fao.org/sard/common/ecg/3120/en/BhutanEngNov08case.pdf

http://www.nsb.gov.bt/pub/baag/BAAG%202011.pdf

http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/3_advocacy_lobbying/eng_leaflet_PDF/Global_Food_Supply.pdf

http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/3_advocacy_lobbying/eng_leaflet_PDF/Global_Food_Supply.pdf

http://www.nsb.gov.bt/pub/ads/2010/chhukha.pdf

http://www.eurojournals.com/EJSS_21_1_05.pdf

http://www.moa.gov.bt/moa/downloads/.../MoADownload8aa2349am.pdf

Appendix I

Phuentsholing Market, Source; survey

Tala Source; survey

Appendix II

Dear respondents,

We are a group of VII semester student from GCBS conducting a survey to study the

sustainability of organic farming in Chukha Dzongkhag. We seek your kind and generous

support as a respondent to our survey questionnaire attached below. We assure that the

information you provide will remain confidential and will be used for academic purpose only.

Thus we would be grateful if you could spare some time in answering the questions. Your

support and cooperation will be highly respected and acknowledged.

Name:………………………........................................ Age……………………………

Geog:………………………………. ……………………

Village:……………………….

1. How many acres of land are being used for farming? (In acre)

Less than 1 acre 3 acres

2 acres More than 4 acres (Specify)

2. What kind of manure/chemical do you use?

Organic manure Synthetic chemicals

Both (More of chemicals) Both (More of organic)

3. What chemical fertilizers do you use?

If yes……………………………………………………………………………………………

4. What are the vegetables that you cultivate? And in which do you use chemical fertilizers?

Items Chemicals Items Chemicals Items Chemicals

Potato Asparagus Bitter gut

Chillies Cucumber Ginger

Cabbage Pumpkins Garlic

Cauliflower Spinach Radish

Onion Spring onion Mushrooms

Bean Pea Carrots

Others if any

……………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Do you think farmers using use of chemical is increasing in our village?

Yes No

6. Are you aware of the effect of using chemical fertilizers to your farm?

Yes No

7. Since when did you shift to inorganic farming?

…………………………………………………………….

8. What influenced you to practice of inorganic farming?

Better yield Low effort Pest control Weed control Availability of chemicals

Softens soil Better

quality

Low investment Free agrochemicals Neighbor influence

Other reasons; -

9. What fraction/acre of your land is free of synthetic chemicals? For how long?

…………………………………………………………………

10. What makes you practice organic farming? (Is it by choice or by compulsion?)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

11. Do you leave any land lie fallow?

Yes (How long)………………………………… No

12. Do you find any difficulties in collecting and generating manure?

Yes (specify)……………………………………… No

13. Do you have adequate water supply for your farmland?

Yes No

14. Do you grow vegetables for commercial purpose? (if no skip to Q. 15)

Yes No

15. Do you face difficulty in transporting your products to the market?

Yes……………………………………… No

16. Has the profitability of organic products changed over years? Why?

Yes No

Reason

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

17. Will you commercialize your products if there is better market?

Yes No

18. From where do you get your labour force?

Home based labour Paid labour (Cost per lab.)…………

19. Does the government assist you in:

Particulars Yes No

Making pit for decomposition?

Irrigation channels

Seeds

Plastic sheets

Trainings

Micro finance (loans) (low interest)

Tools and infrastructures

Others if any

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

20. What government assistance do you expect?

................................................................................................................................................

21. Will you participate in going fully organic after receiving all necessary government

assistance?

Yes No

Thank you

…

Dear respondents,

We are a group of VII semester student from GCBS conducting a survey to study the

sustainability of organic farming in Chukha Dzongkhag. We seek your kind and generous

support as a respondent to our survey questionnaire attached below. We assure that the

information you provide will remain confidential and will be used for academic purpose only.

Thus we would be grateful if you could spare some time in answering the questions. Your

support and cooperation will be highly respected and acknowledged.

Name …………………………………….. Market place……………………………………

1. From where do you procure your stock for sale?

Importers Farmers Own farm Exporters

2. How often do you procure vegetables in a week?

Once Twice More (Specify)………………….

3. Do farmers or agents supply organic products to your door step?

Yes No

4. How do you know that the products are organic or inorganic?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Do the customers prefer organic over inorganic vegetables?

Yes No

6. Which product do you sell more?

Organic Inorganic

7. Do you have any contract suppliers?

Yes No

8. Considering that there are suppliers dealing with organic products, are you willing to sell

their product?

Yes No

9. How many kilos of organic products do you sell in a week and at what price?

Particulars- organic/inorganic Organic Inorganic

Qty. (Kg.) Price/Kg. Qty. (Kg.) Price/Kg.

Potatoes

Chillies

Beans

Carrots

Cabbage

Radish

Cauliflower

Spinach

Ginger

Ferns

Asparagus

Tomatoes

10. Does government assist in terms of;

Tax exemptions Warehouse facilities

Market infrastructure Others if any………………………………..

11. What further assistance do you expect from the government?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

12. The government has a plan to go fully organic by 2020. Will you support them as a

merchant?

Yes No

Thank you

…

Sustainability of Organic Farming in Bhutan: a group project

Documents