High-level meet to accelerate future of agriculture in Bhutan

• Renewable energy (RE) vital in transformation of Bhutan’s food security, experts say.
• Departments of Energy, Agriculture and Water review potential of renewable energy to increase irrigation of agricultural land.
• RE-powered irrigation systems could create 14,750 green jobs and avoid 68,000 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.

THIMPHU, Bhutan, 3 July 2025 – A high-level dialogue on leveraging renewable energy-powered lift irrigation systems for turbocharging the farming sector in Bhutan was held in the capital city of Thimphu this week. The event was attended by several senior officials and practitioners from across the government, industry, academia and civil society of Bhutan.

Nearly 40% of Bhutan’s population work in agriculture, but the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product is falling as temperature rise impacts the precipitation patterns and stream and river flows that are crucial for farming – pushing many farmers to embrace high-carbon tools to water crops, such as diesel-powered pumps. 

The dialogue on renewables for agriculture set out the transformative potential of distributed renewable energy systems in reinvigorating the farming sector and in improving Bhutan’s food sovereignty. This is a crucial route, experts say, to increase Bhutan’s food sovereignty without compromising the country’s pioneering commitment to zero-carbon development. 

Analysis by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), which is co-convening the dialogue, shows that just one-fifth of cultivable land in Bhutan is currently irrigated. Thus, modernising irrigation is now critical, researchers say. By expanding Bhutan’s irrigation systems through river water lifting, the country could potentially irrigate 62,000 acres of farmland, create 14,750 green jobs, and deploy 118 MW of clean energy—all while reducing carbon emissions by nearly 68,000 metric tonnes annually.

To be successful, ICIMOD states, policymakers will need to make renewables in agriculture a strategic priority, pool departmental knowledge and investments, and develop governance, policy, technology, financing, and gender-inclusive strategies.

Bhutan is heavily reliant on food imports, with just one-quarter of national rice and half of national maize consumption requirements grown in the country. 

“Renewable energy-powered lift irrigation systems represent more than technology; they are vehicles of empowerment, tools to unlock productivity, and a bridge toward climate-smart agriculture. It will allow us to unlock year-round cultivation and production while reducing drudgery of women and improve the livelihoods of farmers, especially in places where terrain and climate have long posed barriers,” stated Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Karma Tshering. 

“While Bhutan, thanks to our early investments in hydropower, has made strong progress in renewable energy, we have yet to fully explore the potential of a decentralized and distributed power-generation network. Doing so will help diversify our energy sources and enhance productive applications.” stated Director General of the Department of Energy, Karma P Dorji.

“It’s clear this is the next great green innovation in Bhutan, and that it holds tremendous transformative potential for our crucial food-growing sector,” stated Head of Resilient Economies and Landscape, ICIMOD, Sarala Khaling. 

The Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources was joined by the Director General of the Department of Energy, the Director of the Department of Agriculture, and experts from various government departments and the private sector at the dialogue, which also marked the launch of two national publications.

• A Landscape Assessment of renewable energy-powered lift irrigation systems, identifying institutional challenges and proposing governance mechanism for more coordinated development, and
• A Multi-Criteria Assessment, which introduces a systematic framework for prioritising competing lift irrigation projects based on technical, socio-economic, environmental, and gender-inclusive criteria.

The Advancing Renewable Energy (RE)-powered lift irrigation systems in Bhutan dialogue was jointly convened by the Royal Government of Bhutan’s Department of Energy (DoE), the mountain knowledge centre, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, (ICIMOD) and the Women Empowerment through Renewable Energy Powered Decentralised Lift Irrigation Systems in Bhutan (WERELIS – Bhutan) project, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

Audiences heard key policy recommendations for RE-powered lift irrigation; an overview of critical challenges across governance, technical, and financial sectors; strategies for gender- and socially-inclusive irrigation planning; and witnessed the launch of the PURE Platform – a satellite-based decision support tool for optimal irrigation system design. 

Statement from experts: 

“Bhutan’s agricultural future depends on sustainable irrigation. This dialogue will help shape policies that leverage renewable energy while ensuring that women and marginalised communities benefit equally,” Kapil Kapoor, Regional Director-Asia, International Development Research Centre, CANADA. 

“The Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) platform is a game-changer, enabling data-driven decisions for efficient, climate-resilient irrigation,” Avishek Malla, Intervention Manager, Renewable Energy, ICIMOD.  

“The findings and recommendations from the Landscape Assessment and the Multi-Criteria Assessment Framework will serve as valuable resource for policymakers, practitioners, and development partners in advancing sustainable energy solutions for Bhutan’s agriculture sector,” Dawa Zangmo, Chief Engineer, Department of Energy. 

For more Information, visit the event website.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Neraz Tuladhar (Raz), Media Officer
Email: media@icimod.org