Chimi Dema |  Tsirang

To prevent land degradation and to implement sustainable land management, the agriculture sector in Tsirang initiated a project to grow Napier grass on about 40-acre land belonging to 52 households in Pantghang under Patshaling gewog.

Napier grass is one of the important perennial tropical forage crop belong to family Poaceae.

Supported by the Green Climate Fund and National Soil Service Centre, the six-year project is expected to stabilise soil on steep slopes and rehabilitate degraded land.

The gewog’s agriculture extension officer, Sangay Dorji, said that currently the sloppy cropland was vulnerable to soil erosion and leaching hinders farmers to grow crops.

Besides retaining the soil nutrients, he said that the plant could also protect crops from wind and create microclimate conditions.

Sangay Dorji said that through the project the farmers would focus on sustainable land management.

The initiative is first of its kind in the gewog.

Sangay Dorji said that if farmers embrace the intervention and proves successful, the project would be introduced in other areas as well.

“It is expected to enhance the long-term productivity of the cropland which is currently being threatened by increasing soil degradation and water scarcity,” Sangay Dorji said.

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