In Bhutan， Cooperatives Help Villagers Turn Chores into Profit

Ten years ago， 44-year-old Karma Choeni Dema， a divorcee and mother of seven children in Bhutan， may not have imagined herself as the breadwinner of the family. She survived on the little that was harvested from the land that they owned.

Today， Karma is the chairwoman of the Shershong Cooperative in Mongar. She earns about US $100-120 every month from the milk and dairy products she sells to the cooperative， which helps pay for her children’s education. She also invested her savings to start a poultry farm， bringing in an additional US $100 on a good month.

Karma is one of many beneficiaries of a project implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests （MoAF） and the United Nations Development Programme （UNDP）. Cooperatives in Bhutan existed as early as the 1960s but were informal community groups which did not generate income.

Bhutan is trying to revive the cooperatives to help people make money from their farming activities. UNDP extended support in 2011 through the Food Security Project， mainly to enhance the existing structure of the cooperatives. The project was designed to create opportunities for income generation and self-employment in rural areas， and to help small farmers and rural women gain a steady income through the formation of self-help groups and cooperatives.

“I am self-sufficient and don’t depend on anyone，” Karma says. “I make enough money to send all my children to school.”

Today cooperatives across Bhutan are being established and many farmers， especially women， are benefitting from these programmes. The women say their engagement in cooperatives and farmers groups has given them a sense of independence and confidence. They are able to contribute to the family and household expenses， educate their children and run their daily chores. The security of having their own income has empowered women who never dreamed their daily chores would generate income.