Bio-diversity

Muhung and Broksar are villages with 27 and 21 households respectively under Sherimung and Saling Geog in Mongar (Dzongkhag) District. Those are remotest and poorest villages in the Geog. It is two to three hours drive from the nearest highway. The two geog has more than one and 3 acres land under hemp cover. The farmers were agriculturist from time immemorial and not much initiative and intervention has been made to boost economy besides the agriculture production for vegetables and maize and of course livestock. Hemp plants grow in abundant and is found underutilized in these areas. It offers an opportunity to intervene in beneficial manner especially in offering employment opportunity and income generation to the communities. The Hemp oil is eatable oil, used in perfumery and in pharmaceutical, seeds as food, fiber for paper factory. Hemp woods are used as bedding materials for pets, and cattle for production of good quality of compost/farm yard manure. The scarce raw materials in nature hindered improving local paper factory and distillation unit for essential oil. The biodiversity conservation policies are defeated unless substitute raw materials are explored to sustain and conserve these species in nature. In general, the forest is degraded and several landslides have occurred with too much dependency on lemongrass. This has called immediate attention through exploring of alternative resources like Hemp for fiber and oil. The project will start as a pilot project for potential held by Hemp for the benefits of community. The following are the primary objectives - Utilization of Hemp plants for extraction of essential oil rather sticking only to lemon grass oil at the moment. - Try utilization the Hemp plants as alternative raw materials for fiber extraction for paper factory in the region. - To create employment opportunity for the youth and community in enhancing income generation through setting up Hemp oil distillation unit and paper factory. - To promote sustainable utilization of natural resources towards conservation of biodiversity in nature through alternative uses of raw materials in the region and other objectives includes. - To reduce over exploitation of Daphne and lemon grass in the region. - To moderate rural urban migration through youth capacity development and enterprise institution in the region and other objectives in long run. - Invite expertise from Southern Cross University and Eco Fiber Industry in Australia in coming Hemp season. - Develop exchange research program with Southern Cross University with regards to Hemp and others agriculture based program. - Study on characterization of Hemp Plants in collaboration with SCU. - To analyzed the quality of oil and THC contents in collaboration with SCU. - Create platform to pursue graduate studies at SCU through scholars, project and RGoB funding. - Explore marketing aspects of Hemp oil in collaboration with Eco Fiber Company in Australia.

Bhutan