Food security is a cornerstone of any country?s wellbeing, political and otherwise. Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative believes that food is a cornerstone of GNH, Bhutan?s developmental goal; it manifests the interplay of socio-cultural, economical, ecological and governance aspects of development. Hence, agriculture which continues to be a staple source of nutrition and livelihood for over 69 percent of Bhutan?s population has a significant bearing on a nation?s, a society?s wellbeing. Therefore, agro-biodiversity comes to the fore as it is the backbone for sustainable agricultural development, food and nutrition security, more resilient livelihood, rural income and poverty alleviation.

The farming community has been safeguarding and developing the country?s bio-diversity for over hundreds of years. Among the important agriculture crop diversity, some of the traditionally important cereal crops cultivated in the country are rice, maize, wheat, barley, buckwheat and millets and minor and underexploited crops include upland rice, foxtail millet, little millet, amaranths, pyrilla, oilseeds and grain legumes (Ghimiray&Katwal, 2013). Dru-na-gu or nine food crops, namely rice, maize, wheat, barley, buckwheat, millets, pulses, oilseeds and amaranths, dominated the Bhutanese food basket in the past and played a fundamental role in culture, tradition, religion and livelihood. However, it is now gradually disappearing for various reasons. According to Katwalet al. (2015), the overall loss of traditional crop varieties in the last 20 years is 28.57%. Similarly, a recent survey conducted by Lobzang Tshering, student of College of Natural Resource revealed that the traditional crop cereal lost in Samdrup Jongkhar dzongkhag is estimated at 25% (study titled ?Loss of Traditional Crop Cereal in Samdrup Jongkhar Dzongkhag? as part of his bachelor?s program, 2016). The study identified 83 cereal crop varieties of which 67 are traditional cereal varieties and the remaining improved varieties. While the traditional cereal varieties are predominant but in many gewogs the most visible change is the ongoing replacement of their traditional varieties with the improved varieties introduced through extension and research outreach programs. Most of the local maize has been replaced by Yangtsepa variety in 2007, during the outbreak of Gray Leaf Spot (GLS) disease. Similarly, traditional paddy has been replaced by improved varieties due to its higher productivity and market value.

The invaluable crop diversity is deteriorating and disappearing due to commercialization of agriculture, introduction of new crops and crop varieties, absence of strong policies on conserving agro-biodiversity and crop genetic resources and extension advice or service for the promotion of landraces, growing import of cheap food commodities bulk of which fall under essential items that are exempt from tax, food habit shifting from healthy local crops to chemical infested cheap imported food, urbanization, and farm labor shortage emanating from rural-urban migration, human-wildlife conflicts, policies that is biased towards income generation through mono-cropping (a very good example is Bumthang, where farmers have transitioned from cultivating a diversity of staple cereals to intensive mono-cropping of potatoes using fertilizers and machines over the last 30 years or so (Wangchuk and Siebert 2013)), livestock promotion (subsidies with attractive and quick return unlike agriculture), changing market, etc. but focused on major crops, modern varieties and inputs.

Farmers may have generally lost the seeds of some of the traditional crops and are now increasingly becoming dependent on external sources for seeds for the new varieties that they seem to favour because of higher yield. In Samdrup Jongkhar dzongkhag, traditional crop varieties have been lost in most of its gewogs; 99% of the respondents in Lobzang?s survey felt that they are experiencing loss of traditional crop cereals diversity at an alarming pace; only few households have preserved traditional cereal seeds (Lobzang 2016).

Rekhay village under Dewathang has lost its traditional rice variety and grows new varieties introduced by extension services, which is also preferred by the farmers because of higher yield being oblivious of nutritional and other resilience characteristics of the former. In a baseline study conducted by two CNR trainees attached with SJI in Menchari village (under OrongGewog), revealed that farmers have lost 4 traditional crops that it used to grow long ago, which may also be true in other parts of the country.

A farmer who felt helpless and embarrassed to approach either the agriculture extension office or the SJI after the seeds distributed by them were washed away twice by the heavy monsoons, said, ?We had no choice but go to India and smuggle in seedlings? (despite the Seeds Act). This may not be an isolated case. Such dependence dis-empowers the farming community.

Logically, food security directly hinges on seed security. An important question to ask is, is the ownership of seed slowly slipping from the traditional custodians ?the farmers? Seed is an asset of the farming community; it is their right to own, grow, save and exchange (seed sovereignty).

As Navdanya (seed growers? entity in India) asserts, ??seed is both the source of grain, and all future seeds. The seed is a free resource which farmers save and exchange amongst one another. It is inseparable from the community?s culture and traditional knowledge. The seed, and the plant it produces are storage containers of community values-the new seeds are worshipped before they are planted and new crops are worshipped before being consumed.?

The past practice of farmers saving their own seeds, however, is dwindling because of free seed supply, pest attack, unhealthy produce, etc. Lobzang?s study states that farmers in Samdrup Jongkhar dzongkhag do not save seeds for future use because of inadequate knowledge on seed saving techniques and lack of storage technologies. For instance, if a crop fails during one particular year due to natural calamities, government supply seeds and seedlings free of cost and this discourage farmers from saving seeds. Further, there are no proactive interventions or efforts to support the traditional seed system. The propagation of community seed banks, seed clubs, seeds fairs and seed exchange and marketing are some of the approaches that could be used to rejuvenate and improve the traditional seeds system. There are 4 community seed banks established in the country (Sarpang, Bumthang and Samdrup Jongkhar) to strengthen traditional seed systems and promote custodian farmers? ownerships.

Approach

Therefore, driven by its own vision of self-reliance and ecologically wellbeing SJI has determined ?Seed security in Dewathang together with farming communities and its partners? as its key focus for 2016-2017 and with support from GEF Small Grants Programme. This will primarily be educating and creating awareness in the communities on the importance of agro-biodiversity, conservation of local diversity, effects of climate change and healthy food systems, household level seed saving scheme (on farm), establishment of a community seed bank using local materials and traditional methods with adaptation and drawing lessons from the three existing banks in the Dzongkhag (Pemathang, Gomdar&Martshala Gewogs)on a cost sharing basis, inventorying and collection of traditional crops (will make use of Lobzang?s survey and other reports) and capacity development of the primary actors in agro-biodiversity conservation, seed management, protection from wildlife, etc. There is a lack of national capacity in terms of institutional, infrastructure, human, and technical capacity across the board in dealing with climate change and its effects on biological diversity.

The objectives for establishing the community seed bank and its network of household seed keepers have to be clearly defined in consultation with the farmers and guidance from experts, understood and appreciated by the stakeholders. Whether the infrastructure is to conserve local varieties or rare varieties as a response to the loss of diversity or help farmers to access seeds to grow crops during the next planting season or to be used as an emergency seed supply when crops are damaged and destroyed by natural calamities or all these combined purposes.