Thimphu: Despite the continuous COVID19 pandemic lockdowns in recent months, the registered members of urban farming were not deterred from gardening efforts. To cope with the losing time, the clients were encouraged to establish nurseries of priority vegetables such as chilli, brinjal and tomatoes under poly-tunnels and greenhouses. On April 1, a demonstration was organized by the Department of Agriculture to all the clients on raising nurseries using plug trays filled up with vermicompost. They also learned how to install a plastic greenhouse.
The Department supplied other vegetable seeds to the urban agriculture/peri-urban agriculture groups which include, tomato, pea, bean, beetroot, carrot and radish and green vegetables to grow in empty spaces for nutritional supplements.
The Department has set up the greenhouse at Bebena for the purpose of raising early nursery seedlings of some high-value vegetables and cultivating tomatoes during the production season. A drip irrigation facility will be demonstrated in the same greenhouse for the benefit of all the members. The seedlings raised using plug trays will be mobilized to interested growers at a nominal rate by the master farmer.
This year to avoid the unknown pandemic situation, most of the land has been grown with potatoes as one of the climate-resilient crops compared to other vegetables while some areas are suggested to grow seasonal vegetables for self-consumption. The group has also completed potato cultivation in all urban and peri-urban sites. Thimphu alone has 34 acres and 241 laid-off youths registered for the urban gardening program who have produced approximately 27 MT of vegetables in the last season.
– Department of Agriculture
