Author: NBC

Bhutan is participating in the International Gardens category along with 29 other countries in the International Horticultural Exposition called the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The exhibition is organized to celebrate the three auspicious occasions of His Majesty the King’s 84th Birthday Anniversary, Her Majesty the Queen’s 80th Birthday Anniversary and His Royal Highness Prince Maha Vajralongkorn’s 60th Birthday Anniversary.

Bhutan is presenting the garden with the theme “Life in Harmony with Nature and Culture”. Some of the distinctive features of the garden are the boundary wall with carvings of the eight lucky signs, geykars and a main gate with bhutanese carvings; longlife prayer flags dedicated to the long life and good health of His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince of Thailand; a bhutanese altar with the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni; a chukhor mani; a sangthap; a bridge of friendship with carvings of the Blue Poppy, the Ratchaphruek (national flower of Thailand) and Thuenpa Puen zhi; replica models of the national symbols of Bhutan (national animal, bird and flower); a bhutanese model house and a pavilion displaying medicinal and aromatic plant samples from Bhutan.

The official flag ceremony was held on December 14, 2011 and the Bhutanese team at the ceremony was led by the Hon’ble Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Program Director, National Biodiversity Centre, Counselor, Royal Bhutanese Embassy, Thailand and the Expo Coordinator, National Biodiversity Centre.

The exhibition is open from 14 December 2011 to 14 March 2012 and the Bhutan Garden is already on the list of ‘must-see’ attractions at the Expo. Bhutan’s participation in the Expo will further strengthen the strong friendship and immense goodwill that exists between Bhutan and Thailand and is expected to boost national tourism.

On 17^th December 2011, the Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture and Forests, Lyonpo (Dr.) Pema Gyamtsho inaugurated the Bumthang Local Product Outlet and Bumthang Community Seed Bank at Chamkhar under Bumthang Dzongkhag in commemoration of the Royal Wedding and the National Day Celebration.

Different products from buckwheat, barley, vegetables, yak, local handcrafts, medicinal herbs, processed and dried vegetables and other local products are produced and sold in this outlet by eight Farmers Groups from Bumthang.

The Community Seed Bank (CSB) is another program of Bumthang farmers. Community Seed Bank is a field-level Gene Bank that is managed by the Community. Here the seeds of different traditional crop varieties which are also called agro-biological wealth or heritage that are still being cultivated by the farmers are collected and preserved. It is not only the seeds but also the knowledge held by the farmers about the genetic properties of these varieties that are collected and documented. This information is important for scientists and researchers as it tells what traits to look for in which varieties. Multiplication and renewal of the seed samples will be done through a cycle of growing out each sample every alternate year. The routine growing of seed samples out in the field exposes the crop varieties to the prevailing weather and climatic conditions, including pests and diseases, helping them to adjust and adapt.

This whole initiative to enhance production, product development, marketing and setting up of Community Seed Bank has been taken up to contribute to food security, income generation, sustainable agriculture, agro-biodiversity conservation and enhanced resilience of the farming system in the face of emerging challenges such as global warming and climate change.

These outcomes are a result of the collaborative efforts of Bumthang Dzongkhag/Gewog Agriculture sectors, National Biodiversity Centre, Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives and National Organic Program. This initiative is supported and funded by UNDP-GEF through Integrated Livestock and Crop Conservation Project (ILCCP).