GTZ Project Document No. 51 Report on Nahi Baseline Survey

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Nahi Baseline Survey April- May 2001Few farmers (8%) expressed the need for the agricultural Extension agent’s visitespecially during the paddy nursery sowing and raising, to assist them in controllingdamages from insects and diseases.The farmers also wish that the extension centre is well equipped with the basic facilitiesfor animal health care like good quality chemicals, tools and equipment, better seedsupply in agriculture, etc.Though insignificant, some farmers (5%) feel that the extension personals need to visitthe villages more frequently than they do now, while about (7%) feel that extension needsto provide better response when approached or informed.About 13% of the total respondents also feel that the health services needs to beimproved by constructing a BHU in the valley.2.11 ConclusionThroughout the valley, farm households are small and relatively uniform. Both womenand men play an important role in food production and processing activities but ingeneral more female are found on the farm doing the farm works. The paddy basedcropping pattern followed by some wheat and mustard dominates the wetland productionsystem while livestock and forest form an integral part of the valley’s farming system.The farm household provides labour and management inputs to the cropping andlivestock system, and the labour inputs varied from household to household with respectto their composition. In most cases whatever produced on the farm is mostly retained onfarm for family consumption or production purposes.The farmers look forward for initiating changes in their farm production plans especiallywith the opening of the approach road into their geog. Many respondents expressed theinterest to produce more market oriented crops like vegetables and fruits, while some areinterested to raise improved dairy cows for producing butter and cheese.31
Nahi Baseline Survey April- May 20013.1 Introduction3 The Approach Road and the valleyThe nearest village is about three hours walk from Wangdue Tsangchu Bridge, and untilrecently Nahi is only accessible by foot or on horseback. But with the construction of an11.85 km motorable approach road in 2000 by <strong>GTZ</strong> project, the access has been mademuch easier for the valley dwellers as well as for the outsiders. Indeed like any otherrural development program the approach road to Nahi, encompasses a series of positiveexpectations including that of the valley inhabitants, <strong>Project</strong> and the Royal Governmentof Bhutan. The road in particular is an important contribution from the <strong>GTZ</strong> <strong>Project</strong>significantly upgrading the overall infrastructure of the valley.3.2 The RoadFor any economic development to take place anywhere, the road in every respect remainsone of the most important development factor especially for enhancing the transportationof goods and services and better mobility of the people. From this perspective, Nahiapproach road represents a significant change in the valley’s infrastructure addressing themuch-desired need of the valley’s people. The road not only links the valley to thenational highway and other parts of the country but also provides opportunities to thefarmers of the valley to take up more market oriented crop and livestock productions.3.3 People’s OpinionDespite the fact, that there exists some mixed feelings among few farmers with regard tothe alignment of the road, but in general the majority of the farmers including the upperand lower valley are happy for finally having the road in their geog because of whichaccording to 63% of households, not only the transportation (of goods and people) hasbeen made easy but their mobility has improved. Therefore, people of the valley remaingrateful to the Royal government of Bhutan and the <strong>GTZ</strong> <strong>Project</strong> for the road thoughsome farmers do repent and argue the road to be in Nahi much earlier than 2000.In general most farmers share the same feeling of satisfaction, but however, there are fewrespondents/households who feel that they have not really benefited from the road as theyhave expected. This may be true, especially considering the alignment of the road and thescattered location of the villages, but it is also true attaining a pareto-optimality may notbe possible at the same time.The farmers in the upper valley are optimistic that one day the road will come into theirvillage and they feel it should come. However, according to them any future extension ofthe road should consider the location of their villages that is the road should pass throughtheir villages or at-least close by for more effective use by them.Some farmers also feel that, with the access road, now they expect more frequent visitsfrom the foresters as compared to the past. Although hesitant to express openly, manyfarmers seems to be uncomfortable about such frequent visits.32
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GTZ Project Document No. 51 Report on Nahi Baseline Survey

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