Second Eastern Zone Agricultural Programme

The programme area included the districts of Lhuentshe, Mongar, Pemagatshel. Yangtse, Trashigang and Samdrup-Jongkhar, located in rugged, predominantly forested terrain in eastern Bhutan. Poverty and food insecurity are widespread in this part of the country. Only 12 per cent of the land in the programme area is agricultural, and half of the land is steep. The food security of most farm households depends mainly on maize and rice. It is estimated that some 80 per cent of rural households do not have enough food, or have barely enough of it, to survive through the lean season. Programme activities focus on those households. Most of them are engaged in farming, animal husbandry and forest-related occupations.

The programme’s purpose is to alleviate rural poverty by increasing incomes and improving living standards and food security. It supports integrated action towards sustainable, community-based use of resources. Activities focus on:

• promoting local development initiatives on the basis of community priorities
• providing assistance for community-based natural resources development
• building institutional and scientific capacity to support services such as extension, training and research
• providing rural financial services, particularly credit and savings
• facilitating programme management

The programme builds on the experiences of the IFAD-funded First Eastern Zone Agricultural Project.

Source: IFAD