Country
Bhutan

Local project partner
RENEW MFI Royal Monetary Authority (RMA), (Central Bank Bhutan)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forests Bhutan (MOAF)

German project partner
Sparkasse Südpfalz

Donor
BMZ

Duration
01.09.2019 - 31.12.2022

Agriculture is the most important source of income for the majority of the Bhutanese population. The project aims to stabilize and increase the incomes of the rural population while also considering the ecological orientation of Bhutanese agriculture.

However, the consequences of the pandemic have once again shown the authorities in Bhutan the great dependence on India, especially for food supplies. Therefore, the government has declared the promotion of domestic agriculture as its goal. 

The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the agricultural sector and promote rural development in Bhutan. This is to be achieved by offering adequate financial services, taking into account new technologies, to ensure more stable income for the low-income rural population and agricultural enterprises. In this context, the ecological orientation of Bhutanese agriculture is to be explicitly considered and strengthened.

Project Tasks

• Improve the provision of financial services to smallholder and agricultural businesses (supported by digital products and digitized processes).
• Establishment of a program for sustainable entrepreneurial education for smallholder farmers and agricultural businesses in rural regions. The program takes ecological aspects into account.
• Networking of stakeholders involved in the promotion of ecological rural development.