World’s first wholly Organic City

Bhutan is a Beautiful Country that experiments with Happiness. Within a decade it became the first country in the world to go wholly organic in its food production, according to key politicians in the Himalayan kingdom. Agriculture and forests minister Lyonpo Yeshey Dorji and opposition leader Pema Gyamtsho, who held the post in the previous government, say there is a united commitment to rid the country of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

While no formal timeframe has been put in place, both politicians believe that the goal is within sight as long as practical natural solutions can be found to the pest and disease problems still affecting a few crops. In order to speed up the search for these answers, Bhutan recently brought together experts on organic agriculture from across the world. Dorji says the new government is maintaining the previous administration's strong commitment to organic agriculture but says any moves to eradicate chemicals needs to be done on a voluntary basis.

Despite the commitment from both main political parties, some experts within Bhutan worry that they are being too optimistic and that farmers are actually becoming increasingly reliant on chemical fertilizers. Many of the farmers the Guardian met in central and eastern Bhutan spoke of their reluctance to go fully organic as they believe their yields will fall, especially given weather patterns are becoming more erratic. Many growers, for example, say that chemical fertilizers increase the size of their potatoes, which makes it easier to find export markets in countries such as India.

However, Gyamtsho insists that the trend is in the opposite direction as farmers begin to recognize that chemicals are having a damaging effect on the quality of the soil. Many farmers now see that it destroys the soil and its water retention capacity so unless they increase the input year by year, they're not getting the kind of returns that they were getting earlier. To develop this movement and change the mentality of the farmers, we need to take them to see land where yields are not being affected by using only natural fertilizers. If they are convinced then they will also adopt these practices.

Another issue that needs to be addressed if organic produce is to be economically viable is the lack of certification capacity within Bhutan. The first testing laboratory opened only recently. Gyamtsho says the priority at the moment should be to satisfy regional markets that do not need the same level of third party oversight that buyers in Europe and the US demand. But as the country's testing capacity grows, he says certification will be a very important requirement not just for the export market but also for our people as they need to know what they're eating.

He says the organic strategy is to take a step-by-step approach, advancing region-by-region, product-by-product and that new innovations are essential to find ways to naturally eradicate diseases and improve crop yields. Other nations can follow Bhutan in this area. It’s really people and environment friendly.