To achieve food and nutrition security and to enhance rural livelihood, a workshop on agriculture vision and policy is underway at Serbithang in Thimphu.

Agriculture secretary, Rinzin Dorji, said that enhancing food and nutrition security, improving rural livelihood and environment management were the primary mandates of the ministry. “The ministry also makes significant contribution to raising economic growth, employment, exports and poverty alleviation.”

The main challenge and priority for the ministry, he said, was to meet the national food self-sufficiency, while also generating growth and employment in the sector.

Some of the existing challenges associated with food production were agriculture land, rural-urban migration, human-wildlife conflict, climate change impacts and disasters.

Rinzin Dorji said that it was time these issues were understood and food production approaches and strategies reconsidered to develop agriculture in the country. “The training course is a timely platform for the experts to exchange ideas and incorporate successful measures, which would contribute towards the growth of RNR sector.”

The training would form a critical input towards the development of agriculture vision 2030 he said.  “Developing a long term agriculture vision will require a comprehensive scenario analysis, policy analysis matrix and envisioning agriculture sub-sector to facilitate logical and evidence-based visioning of the agriculture sector development.”

The workshop aims for good management, sustainable use, and development of resources for better sector policies, programmes, investments, and planning processes.

Experts from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) will deliberate on landscape management and planning tools, policy impact management, scenario planning for specific situation and food insecurity assessment, among others.

Department of Agriculture in collaboration with IFPRI and Food Security and Agriculture Productivity Project (FSAPP) organised the training. The five-day training will end today.

Staff Reporter