The furrows of happiness

In 2012 the Kingdom of Bhutan announced its wish to live on 100 % organic agriculture. The Minister of Agriculture at the time, Pema Gyamtsho, declared: «Intensive agriculture, because it implies the use of so many chemicals, is not in keeping with our belief in Buddhism, which calls for us to live in harmony with nature. We like to see insects happy and plants happy.» After ploughing dark furrows, by using so many fertilisers, weedkillers and pesticides made from petrochemicals, farmers are gradually committing to the agricultural transition to sustainable food production. Landlocked between two giants, China and India, this country of 700,000 inhabitants had already set itself apart by choosing a development model based not on the measurement of GDP (gross domestic product) but on that of gross national happiness (GNH).
Authors

Eléonore Henry de Frahan, photographe
Aude Raux, rédactrice