The initiative involves a pilot project that will supply eggs to 32,000 students in 343 schools in Bhutan. Egg for children’s diet: FAO pilot project helping schoolchildren and farmers in Bhutan Economic Development
Meandering through the trees of Bhutan’s densely forested hills, Tenzin Drukpa and Pampa Maya Tamange deliver neatly stacked cardboard trays of eggs to 15 primary schools in Thimphu and Chukha districts.
Tenzin and Pampa make this journey every month. They deliver food from their farm to school canteens. For many students, school lunches can be the most nutritious meal of the day.
The Egg for Children initiative, launched by the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is directly linking smallholder poultry farmers to school feeding programs and tackling child malnutrition while creating a sustainable market for rural manufacturers.
The initiative involves a two-year pilot project that will supply eggs to 32,000 students in 343 schools across the country.
In Bhutan, nearly one in five children under five years of age is stunted, about nine percent are underweight, and more than a third of adolescent girls are affected. anemia.
Eggs are among the most nutritious foods. They are rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for mental and physical development, as well as strengthening the immune system in children.
Students reported improved well-being and increased energy during the school day, and teachers reported that students’ concentration in class had increased since the program began.
There is another side to this initiative. Tenzin opened a poultry farm in 2018 and knows what it’s like to be on the verge of going broke. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, egg prices fell sharply – more and more goods remained unsold. In 2023, 2,700 birds died due to toxin-contaminated feed, and losses amounted to about 3.6 million Bhutanese ngultrum (about 43 thousand dollars).
Tenzin did not give up. In order to stimulate economically, the government provided a loan that allowed him to restore the farm and increase production.
The market situation gradually improved, and after the launch of the “Egg for Children’s Diet” initiative, something that turned out to be truly invaluable appeared – a reliable sales channel. There are now four thousand birds in Tenzin’s poultry farm.
“The market used to be unpredictable,” says Tenzin. “Thanks to this initiative, we have new opportunities. We are now confident that schools need our products.”
Similar changes and strengthening relationships are taking place in southwest Bhutan, where farmers are responding to steady demand from schools. In Samtse district, near the Indian border, thirty-seven-year-old Ganesh Bahadur Galley often had to sell eggs at a loss, but now he supplies them to two schools with more than 200 students. “Two of my children go to school,” he says. “Providing eggs for school meals is also a good deed.”
In eastern Samtse district, Dependra and Sabitra Gurung run a poultry farm with 750 chickens. They supply eggs to a nearby primary school with 300 students.
“Thanks to this initiative, we have a guaranteed market,” says Dependra. “Now we are confident in the future.”
The primary school in Soeltaps is attended by children from surrounding villages scattered throughout the countryside of Samtse County. Before the initiative, chefs rarely included eggs in school lunches.
“Eggs are now part of the school diet,” explains Karma, who supplies eggs and is a member of the women’s organization Soeltapsa. “Before the Eggs for Children initiative, we did not supply eggs as they were not included in school meals.”
For cooks who work in school canteens and prepare food for several dozen children, boiled eggs have always been the most convenient option – proven, simple and quick to prepare. However, the children began to notice that the menu was not changing and began to talk about it. To that end, the program trained more than 280 chefs in 20 counties to learn new recipes and gain food safety knowledge.
The cooking process looks completely different now. Cooks who once primarily used boiling now sauté garlic and onions, combining eggs and potatoes with hentsei, a wild spinach that grows in Bhutan, to make gongdo hyontsei, a flavorful omelette with hints of chili. simmered in a spicy tomato, ginger and garlic sauce and served with golden-fried potato wedges, green chillies and coriander. The government has also increased funding for school meals from 1,500 to 3,100 Bhutanese ngultrum per child (about $38), reflecting the expansion of the program.
At his farm in the hilly Damphu region, Tenzin contemplates the future. He believes that increased access to chickens, better poultry houses and fair prices will help farmers produce more and children grow stronger, creating healthier young generations.