In the fields of Gongthung village in Trashigang, vegetables grown by local farmers are increasingly finding their way to a customer just a short distance away — the kitchen of Gongthung Middle Secondary School.
The arrangement has created a small but increasingly important local food economy. Farmers have a dependable market for their produce, while the school is able to serve students food sourced largely from within the community.
Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, farmers deliver freshly harvested vegetables to the school. Gongthung has four vegetable groups, whose members take turns supplying the produce. The partnership has also expanded beyond vegetables. A nearby poultry farm supplies eggs, while the village dairy group provides milk and other dairy products for the school mess.
For individual farmers, the income varies considerably depending on the quantity and type of produce they are able to supply.
“Those who supply more vegetables earn more. Some farmers make between Nu 5,000 and Nu 9,000 a month, while those who supply smaller quantities earn around Nu 300 to Nu 700,” says farmer Yeshi Lhamo.
Prices also make a difference. Yeshi says crops such as radish generate relatively modest returns, while broccoli and potatoes command better prices.
Taken together, the farmers earn about Nu 250,000 every month from supplying the school. That accounts for roughly 42 per cent of the total meal stipend the school receives for its students, making the school an important institutional buyer for the village.
The economic impact has been particularly significant for poultry farmers following the government’s revision of the meal stipend for boarding students last year. The stipend was increased from Nu 1,500 to Nu 3,100, allowing schools to spend more on food and creating greater demand for locally available produce.
Poultry farmer Kintu says the school has given him the reliable market he previously lacked.
“Earlier, I struggled to find a market for my eggs, as some shopkeepers would not buy them. But after the students’ meal budget increased, I began supplying eggs to the school. Now, I earn between Nu 100,000 and Nu 120,000 monthly,” he says.
For Gongthung Middle Secondary School, buying from farmers in the surrounding community serves another purpose. It allows the school to improve students’ access to nutritious food while ensuring that a substantial part of its food expenditure circulates within the local economy.
There are, however, limits to what Gongthung’s farms can currently provide.
The school still has to purchase some fruits from outside the village because local production is insufficient. Bananas and apples are among the items that have to be sourced elsewhere.
“We buy watermelons, cucumbers and pears from the farmers here. Whenever available, we also try to buy organically grown fruits from them,” says the school’s mess in-charge, Wang Gyeltshen.
Farmers are already beginning to respond to the gaps in local supply. Some have started cultivating bananas, potentially allowing another item on the school’s shopping list to be sourced within the village. The dairy group, meanwhile, is preparing to add yoghurt to the products it supplies to the school.
The relationship between Gongthung’s farms and its school shows what can happen when a public institution becomes a reliable buyer for the community around it. Money allocated to feeding students does more than put meals on their plates: it creates demand for local agriculture, provides farmers with regular income and gives them an incentive to diversify production.
In Gongthung, the distance between the farm and the dining table has become remarkably short. The result is a local food system in which students, farmers and the wider village economy can all benefit — an approach that could be strengthened and encouraged elsewhere.
