Monday 6 August 2012

Bhutan goes Organic

Organic farming
According to Bhutan's Minister of is officially going "100% cage free and organic". 

Addressing the opening session, Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley cited four reasons for the decision:
  • Protection of soil health and fertility, ground and surface water, and biodiversity
  • Creation of new economic opportunities
  • Strengthening of the independence, self-esteem and self-reliance of the nation’s farmers
  • Strengthening of culture and rural communities

Both moves are in line with the four pillars of Gross National Happiness, which the Bhutanese Government had embraced as a measure of development, replacing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP):-
1. good governance
2. sustainable socio-economic development
3. cultural preservation
4. environmental conservation.