Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) play an important role in the daily lives and overall well being of the Bhutanese people especially among the rural farming community; for instance they are a major source of off farm income, food, medicine, fodder, fiber, and also used for local construction materials. Many of them are importantly traded commodities at local, national and international levels, providing employment and income at each level. Despite such potentials, majority of the farming communities remain to be poor, raising concern whether NWFPs constitute a poverty trap, a safety net, or a potential but underutilized resource for rural development and poverty alleviation. Thus, emphasizing the overall national policy objectives on NWFP development as a major activity for poverty reduction and economic growth; the study has been commissioned to prepare inputs towards developing a national strategic plan for NWFP development and utilization in Bhutan for 2008-2020. The study has been carried out in close consultations with the Forest Resource Development Division (FRDD) within the Department of Forest, NWFP Working Group members and other important stakeholders within the Ministry of Agriculture and outside.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
FAO

Region
Asia Pacific

Biome
All

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
All