Despite forming the backbone of Bhutan’s agricultural workforce, women continue to face barriers in decision-making and access to resources.
RENUKA RAI | Tsirang
Women in Tsirang are increasingly shaping governance at the local level while continuing to carry the backbone of rural agriculture.
Their growing participation in planning meetings and community consultations is gradually influencing development priorities, particularly in the agricultural sector where women’s daily experiences provide important insight into the realities of rural livelihoods.
Across many villages in the district, women remain the primary workforce in farming. From preparing fields and planting crops to harvesting and managing livestock, their labour sustains both household food security and the wider rural economy.
Despite this central role, their contributions have often remained informal, and their voices were historically underrepresented in decision-making processes related to agriculture and rural development.
Recent data highlights the scale of women’s involvement in the sector.
According to a 2023 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 57.8 percent of employed Bhutanese women are engaged in agriculture, while other estimates indicate that more than half of female employment in the country is concentrated in the primary sector.
In recent years, however, this pattern has begun to change as more women participate in governance structures at the gewog level. Their involvement in community discussions and planning meetings is helping ensure that agricultural concerns raised at the grassroots level are reflected in local development plans.
In Rangthaling Gewog, Gewog Administration Officer Dorji Dema has witnessed this transition closely. Working within the local administration, she has encouraged greater participation of women farmers in planning discussions.
“As a female Gewog Administration Officer, I try to make sure that women farmers’ voices are heard during gewog planning,” she said. “Women are the ones working in the fields every day, so they understand the challenges more clearly.”
Community meetings such as Chiwog Zomdu have become important spaces where women farmers can raise concerns about the difficulties they face in agricultural production.
During these discussions, many women highlighted irrigation shortages and water supply issues that were affecting crop cultivation.
These concerns were later incorporated into the Gewog Annual Plan, resulting in the prioritisation of irrigation renovation and improvements to rural water supply infrastructure.
Farmers say the improvements have helped ease some of the difficulties they previously faced during dry season.
“This shows that when women participate in planning discussions, development decisions become more practical,” Dorji Dema said. “They are sharing the problems they face directly from the fields.”
Such participation demonstrates how agricultural knowledge from grassroots communities can influence local governance decisions when women are actively involved in the planning process.
For many women farmers in Tsirang, agriculture is not simply an occupation but a daily responsibility that supports entire families.
In Rangthaling, 63-year-old farmer Sawarati Subba described how environmental challenges are increasingly affecting agricultural productivity.
“We don’t have enough minerals in the soil, and because of heavy rainfall crops often decay,” she said. “In winter, frost makes it very difficult to grow certain crops.”
Like many women in rural Bhutan, Sawarati Subba spends most of her time working on the farm while also managing household responsibilities.
“Women are the ones managing the farms every day,” she said. “We understand the problems very closely, which is why women should also be part of planning and decision-making.”
Despite the growing recognition of women’s contributions to agriculture, farming conditions are becoming more complex due to environmental changes and shifting weather patterns.
Heavy rainfall, soil degradation, and seasonal frost can damage crops and reduce yields, creating uncertainty for farmers who rely on agriculture as their primary livelihood.
Another resident, 53-year-old Madhu Maya Rana, said that while women play a central role in farming, their responsibilities extend far beyond agricultural work. “Girls lives are more difficult than boys,” she said. “Women work in the farms, take care of the household, and still participate in community work.”
For many rural women, the day begins early in the morning with farm work and continues late into the evening with domestic responsibilities.
Planting, weeding, harvesting, and caring for livestock are part of daily routines. At the same time, they prepare meals, manage household finances, and care for children and elderly family members.
“If women are given leadership roles, they can make strong decisions for the community,” she said. “Because they understand the problems that farmers face.”
Women’s strong participation in agriculture, however, does not come without challenges. Despite playing a central role in farming, many women face low agricultural productivity, limited access to modern farming technology, and heavy workloads. In rural communities, women often balance farm labour with household responsibilities and community duties, making their daily workload significantly heavier.
Access to modern agricultural tools, improved seeds, and training opportunities is still limited in some rural areas, which can affect productivity. Without these resources, women farmers must rely largely on traditional methods that require greater manual labour.
These challenges are further compounded by the unpaid nature of much of women’s work in agriculture. While their labour supports household livelihoods and contributes to local food production, it is often not recognised as formal employment.
Nevertheless, many women continue to demonstrate resilience and dedication in maintaining agricultural production and supporting their families.
Dorji Dema said recognising women’s role in agriculture is an important step toward improving rural development planning. “By including women in governance discussions, local leaders believe development programmes can become more responsive to actual farming conditions,” she said.
Older residents also acknowledge that attitudes toward women’s leadership are slowly changing. In Manchuna chiwog under Kikorthang gewog, 74-year-old N.M. Sharma said, “Girls today have more opportunities compared with earlier generations”.
Unlike in the past, access to education now has significantly empowered women to take part in leadership and decision-making. “When girls are educated and encouraged, they can contribute more to development and take leadership roles,” Sharma said.
However, social expectations still influence participation in public discussions. According to 39-year-old D.C. Adhikary, some women remain hesitant to speak during meetings even when they have valuable knowledge to share.
“Some educated girls still hesitate to come forward and speak,” he said. “But when women participate actively, they bring practical ideas that help the community.”
Dorji Dema observe that decision-making meetings can sometimes be dominated by male participants, which may discourage women from expressing their opinions openly. Time constraints also limit participation, as women often have to balance meetings with farm work and household responsibilities.
Dorji Dema said women working in governance positions also face additional scrutiny.
“As a woman in local governance, your leadership is sometimes questioned more closely,” she said. “You have to prove your capability again and again.”
She recalled that when she first began working in the gewog administration, some community members doubted whether she could manage administrative responsibilities effectively.
Over time, however, consistent work and transparent processes helped build trust.
“When people see results, their attitude changes,” she said.
Dorji Dema now actively encourages women farmers to participate in consultations and planning meetings. She also ensures that their concerns are properly documented so that they can be considered in development plans.
“When women see another woman working in leadership, it gives them confidence to participate,” she said.
Beyond gewog-level discussions, women’s perspectives are gradually reaching wider policy discussions related to agriculture and rural development.
Women civil servants, community leaders, and agricultural practitioners are increasingly contributing to consultations and forums where rural development programmes are designed.
Dorji Dema emphasised that women should not only participate in decision-making but also be supported to lead development initiatives.
“Women already play a major role in agriculture and community life,” she said. “If they are given opportunities and support, they can contribute even more to development.”
The experience of women farmers in Tsirang reflects a broader shift occurring across rural Bhutan. Women who have long sustained agricultural systems are gradually gaining recognition as important contributors to governance and development planning.
Note: This story is supported by the Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy (BCMD) with funding from the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI)
