There is heightened interest and awareness on the value of creating beautiful surroundings, with the five successive Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibitions, coupled with the increased pace of development and improved socio-economic status of the Bhutanese people. Individuals, organizations and Thromdes are willing to spend money on flowers to improve the aesthetics of their home, work or public environments. In addition, the government also appointed twenty officers as Dzongkhag beautification officer in 2019 which further indicates the importance of a beautiful dzongkhag and increased demand for flowers. However, despite the increased demand, there are limited suppliers in the country that can meet these demands at reasonable prices, in desired quantities and with the appropriate flower varieties. This is because there is no established culture of growing and selling flowers in the country, coupled with a lack of targeted initiatives to build national capacities to carry out promotion of floriculture and amenity landscaping as well as to explore and develop the economic potential of floriculture enterprises and urban beautification. The whole idea to initiate such a project originated from the increasing demand for flowers not only in Thimphu but from all over Bhutan. With the successive flower exhibitions and the permanent beautification efforts in Samdrup Jongkhar during the Fifth Royal Bhutan Flower Exhibition, other Dzongkhags as well as public and private institutions and citizens are seeking plants for beautification of surroundings.

Therefore, in order to seize this market opportunity and create an alternate source of income for the vulnerable sections of society, namely women and girls, and to provide gainful employment and empowerment Gawailing happy homes (GHH), under RENEW will be the chief proponent for this project.
The rationale for this project is to initiate and build capacities in floriculture as an alternate source of income for disadvantaged women and girls for improved and empowered livelihoods and social inclusion. The flower species are chosen on the criteria of public demand, suitability for growth, aesthetics, native ornamental plants with conservation and aesthetic values etc. The identification of niche flowers is based on the Royal Botanical Garden?s experience with public demand for flowers. Since this is the first project of its kind, the project will adopt a realistic approach in introducing flowers tested for their popularity, durability and low maintenance.

The direct impacts of this initiative are the empowerment of the vulnerable sections of society and a sustained source of income for the management of Happy Homes as well as increased availability of flowers in the market for sale at reasonable prices and reduce the import of flowers from neighboring countries. The indirect impacts of this project are the creation of green landscapes that will not only improve the aesthetics of urban and rural habitats but also contribute to the general health, happiness and well-being of the people. It will also act as one of the pioneering projects to contribute towards achieving His Majesty?s vision of creating living spaces that are ?clean, safe, organized, and beautiful, for national integrity, national pride, and for our bright future.?
This initiative is also in line with the 17th National Key Result Area (NKRA) of the 12th Five Year Plan which is ?healthy ecosystem maintained?
At the global level, this initiative is also well-aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 5 (Gender equality) and goal number 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Project objectives and Expected result
The proposed project?s goal is to ?Build resilient and sustainable communities through floriculture, amenity landscaping and understanding of biodiversity values.
The main objective of the project support to RENEW is to promote floriculture as a viable business enterprise for vulnerable communities (women and youth) in order to improve their livelihoods, empower them and to strengthen education and awareness on biodiversity conservation and community participation.
The specific objective of the project is as follows;
- To build capacities of RENEW in floriculture
- To promote RENEW as a suppliers of quality plants for improving the aesthetics of private as well as public spaces.
- To provide an alternate source of income for the maintenance and sustenance of Gawaiiling Happy Homes
- To discourage the import of plants and excessive collection of native plants from the wild.
- To empower the vulnerable sections of society, namely women, girls and youth through self-reliance.
- To improve the livelihoods of vulnerable women and girls.
- To contribute to the creation of beautiful and aesthetic landscapes for general well-being and happiness.
Expected Outcomes
The following are the expected outcomes of the project after completion:
? Capacities developed to establish floriculture as a livelihood source.
? Gawaiiling happy homes is able to supply plants in the market.
? Income generated from the sale of plants.
? Vulnerable women and rehabilitated youth are actively engaged in floriculture and benefiting from it.
? Cultivated native ornamental plants are made available in the market discouraging collections from the wild.
? Increased well-being of vulnerable communities and youth, contributing to Gross National Happiness
? Contribution to the emergence of greener and aesthetic landscapes in the country.
? Gainful employment and empowered women and girls
The above outcomes are expected to contribute towards the SGP?s strategic initiatives like; Community Landscape Conservation; Promoting Social Inclusion and ultimately contribute in achieving the SGP?s overall objective for Operational Phase-6 ?Effectively support the creation of global environmental benefits and the safeguarding of the global environment through community and local solutions that complement and add value to national and global level action?

Project Activities;
There are five main project activities identified in this project. Some of the activities are merged into appropriate subheadings. Detailed logical framework of activities is provided in the implementation plan.
1 Identification of the area and land preparation for setting up of poly tunnel house.
? Identify suitable sites and carry out land surface preparation (Excavation) for establishment of poly tunnel house and hardening house at the beginning.
? Procurement of Poly tunnel house and its accessories.
? Establishment of two poly tunnel house (10 X 5 m) for growing and nurturing the flowers.

2. Procurement of floriculture accessories (Seeds, Seed tray, Poly bag and etc.) and other contingency expenses for plant propagation (Permit fees, transportation or labor charges, forest litter, chemical fertilizers).
? Survey and procurement of the necessary floriculture accessories (Seeds, Seed tray, Poly bag and etc.) from the market and other expenses related to plant propagation.
3. Capacity building and Hands-on training on plant propagation and nursery management
? Carry out education and awareness series on biodiversity conservation, aesthetic landscapes and floriculture.
? Carry out education and awareness on plant sanitation and nursery management.
? Conduct community workshop and Hands-on training on plant propagation and nursery management.
? Guide the participants in the establishment of greenhouses and raising of nurseries.

4. Explore, identify and secure markets for the plants grown at the nurseries.
? Promotion and advertisement of the plants on sale.
? Establish sale outlets on the Thimphu-Phuntsholing highway.
? Explore bulk marketing for landscaping in the High end hotels or individual residence.
? Explore market during the national events and the annual flower exhibitions to secure ready market for bulk marketing.
? Beautification and landscaping within the project sites to support as a marketing tool.

5. Income generation from the sale of plants
? Set aside a certain amount from the sale of plants to support/sustain the activity once the project is completed and to replicate in other ?happy homes?.
? Develop a sustenance plan or an exit plan for the continuation of activities once the project is completed.