Bhutan

Guided by the concept of “gross national happiness”, the small Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan has achieved rapid economic growth. It transitioned into a lower middle-income country at the end of 2023, with investments in health and education reducing poverty from 23 to 12 percent in just a decade. 

However, the impact of climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and intense disasters, threatening to reverse Bhutan’s progress. Most people depend on the agricultural sector to survive, so protecting the country’s food systems is an important step towards reaching zero hunger.

Eighty-six percent of Bhutanese do not consume sufficient vegetables and fruits. More than a quarter of households cannot afford a diet that meets their nutrient needs. 

Although agriculture is one of the economic mainstays of Bhutan, less than 3 percent of its land is arable. The mountainous terrain, limited commercial farming and marketing, and post-harvest management constraints mean that Bhutan imports about half its food from neighbouring countries.

WFP supports Bhutan with technical assistance in nutrition, climate-resilient food systems, and emergency preparedness and response. WFP handed over the school meals programme to the Government in 2019.