Despite the favorable climatic conditions for vegetable cultivation, most of the land under Rezor village has remained fallow for decades due to road inaccessibility, rural-urban migration, wildlife depredation, costly services and non-feasibility for farm mechanization.

The completion of Dremetse-Udzorong feeder road has increased the relative accessibility to the market, and has awakened farmers’ interest to revive the fallow land for commercial vegetable production and orchard development. Since then, the Dzongkhag agriculture sector in collaboration with the gewog administration began the work on land development, with fund supports from CARLEP-IFAD.

The fallow land reversion program has benefitted 37HHs from Rezor village under Udzorong Gewog. About 20 acres of land has undergone land development and 20 acres more will be further developed.

The land development will enable farm mechanization, thereby pushing farmers into commercial vegetable production. Farmers are planning for the cultivation of a variety of high-value vegetables and fruits like rajma beans, cole crops, chili, tomatoes, avocado, mangoes, etc.

The primary idea of the fallow land reversion was to bring about a quantum jump in smallholder farmers’ income through commercial farming with best-farming inputs, improved soil and seed, use of modern technology and practices, and access to assured markets. This initiation also gears towards immediate action to meet food and nutritional security and to ensure the availability of vegetables within the region or beyond.

With the proper management and technical assistance from the Dzongkhag agriculture sector and financial support from CARLEP-IFAD, Economic contingency Plan (ECP), Dzongkhag Development Grant (DDG), and others, the Rezor farmers are planning for year-round vegetable production and earn substantial income from the vegetable and orchard farming.

In the coming weeks, the group will begin plantation of leguminous plants on the developed land for soil fertility improvement to increase the yields. 

Updates from Narayan Subba, Extension Supervisor, Udzorong Gewog, Trashigang

Reported by: Chhimi Lhamo, GKMO