RESEARCH PAPER
AGRICULTURE IN THE PERIPHERIES – THE KINGDOM OF BHUTAN
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Warsaw University of Life Sciences
Submission date: 2022-06-13
Final review date: 2022-07-12
Acceptance date: 2022-07-28
Publication date: 2022-09-29
Zagadnienia Ekonomiki Rolnej / Problems of Agricultural Economics 2022;372(3):108-123
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ABSTRACT
The main aim of the paper is to familiarize the readers with the economy, and above all the agricultural
sector of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The direct inspiration for this paper was the ban on cage
breeding of laying hens introduced in this country in 2012, which brings to mind an important event,
which happened in 1972, when the King of Bhutan announced the concept of the Gross National
Happiness Index (GNH). Figures and graphics presented in the article were prepared on the basis of
Bhutan’s national statistics and available publications. The structure of Bhutan’s economy is dominated
by the industrial and services sectors. The share of agriculture in generating GDP has ranged
from 14 to 22% in the last twenty years, with employment in agriculture reaching almost 60% of
the total workforce. The agricultural sector is highly fragmented, and at the same time vulnerable to
threats resulting from difficult natural conditions and climate change. Bhutan is not achieving food
self-sufficiency, despite strong support from Bhutanese authorities for the sector and increasing
productivity. The changes taking place in agriculture and the entire economy of Bhutan are strongly
oriented towards the implementation of the sustainable development paradigm.