Inadequate and insulting

January 14, 2012Posted inVillages15 Comments
  Farming in Bhutan is difficult work. Our farmers toil from dawn till dusk, in the sun and the rain, and with rudimentary tools, just to secure a basic harvest, which, at the best of times, is barely enough to feed their families through the year. Farming in Bhutan is also a notoriously risky business. Rain, drought, floods, storms, hail, insects, disease and wild animals combine to keep our farmers on edge till they have harvested and safely stored their produce. But even after that, our farmers face one more big risk: markets. There’s absolutely no guarantee that their…

More potatoes

March 4, 2009Posted inVillages
While traveling to Haa today, I saw several farmers planting potatoes. Some were done. Others, like this couple in Jabana, were just beginning to prepare their field. But all of them expect a good crop – the rains came just in time.

Weather dependent

March 1, 2009Posted inNature, Villages
Yes! It snowed in Haa. And the land is now moist. So our farmers are working their fields in earnest, preparing them to plant potatoes. Before the recent snow and rain, our farmers could not plough their fields – the earth was too hard, and much of the dry top soil would have been lost in the wind anyway. If the dry weather had continued, our farmers would have virtually lost the potato season.So our farmers are happy. But their concerns are not over. It’s threatening to snow again. And if it does snow, and snows heavily, potato planting…

Zeko’s dream

February 27, 2009Posted inGovernment, Nature
Several people have told me that the quality of discussion among you, the readers of this blog, is unusually high. Your comments are educative, insightful and provide food for thought. But I am concerned that most casual readers will not see your comments, especially if they read only the main entries. And I think that some of your views are too significant, and too valuable, to leave simply as one comment.So I’ve decided to periodically post some of your comments as main entries — please let me know if this is okay. Reproducing your comments on the main page…

Weathering poverty

February 24, 2009Posted inNature, Villages
Well it didn’t snow last night. And it didn’t rain enough. But it’s still overcast. And I’m hopeful.Part of my excitement yesterday was because I was sure it would snow in my village, which, at about 2800 m, is higher than Thimphu. But it didn’t snow there either. The light drizzle was barely enough to “settle the dust” one uncle told me. He and his neighbours can’t begin to prepare their fields till enough water seeps into the parched earth.Throughout our country, most of our farmers are completely dependent on rain water. This makes farming unpredictable and unproductive. And…

Rhythm of the falling rain

February 23, 2009Posted inNature, Villages
It’s drizzling outside. I hope it rains. In fact I hope it snows. We need the precipitation.Our rivers have dwindled. And can barely turn the hydropower turbines that generate electricity – and revenue – for our country.But, more importantly, our farmers have not been able to cultivate their land. Without water, their land is parched and cannot be tilled; cannot be prepared to plant potatoes. If potatoes are not planted in time, the potato yield will be bad. And potatoes are the only source of money for many of our farmers.So I’m thoroughly enjoying the soft, percussive sound of…