A group of 12 schoolteachers and principals from Bhutan involved in vegetable production as a part of the country’s School Agriculture program visited AVRDC South Asia in Hyderabad, India from 7-10 December 2013. The group toured AVRDC and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to see various agricultural and livestock practices and discuss possibilities for future research collaboration and exchanges. Several of the visitors are participants in the current “Vegetables Go to School” project led by AVRDC. The visit was funded by the World Food Programme (WFP).

B.B. Rai, Coordinator, School Agriculture Program, Council for RNR Research of Bhutan (CoRRB), Ministry of Agriculture & Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan led the team, along with Chhador Wangdi, an official from the Ministry of Education.

“We are seeking ways to put our facilities to best use while training students in sustainable agriculture practices and fostering agri-entrepreneurship among Bhutanese youth,” said Mr. Rai. “Agricultural activities would keep more students in school and offer them future employment alternatives.”

The visitors were fascinated by the vast scale of farming they saw in India. Farming on a larger scale at Bhutan schools could help ensure students have access to nutritious food after WFP support is phased out.

Ram Nair, AVRDC Legume Breeder, presented an overview of the Center’s activities and Research Technician Tomar Singh guided the visitors through AVRDC’s field trials and home garden models. The Bhutan team expressed interest in testing AVRDC’s vegetable soybean, particularly the basmati-flavored types. The group also visited the ICRISAT Genebank and met scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), where they learned about research on feedstocks for cattle and small ruminants.

Mr. Rai thanked the AVRDC team for arranging the details of the Bhutan delegation’s visit, and extended an invitation to AVRDC staff to visit Bhutan for technical and scientific collaboration.

— contributed by Hemant Nitturkar