The World Food Day was observed at Phobjikha Middle Secondary School in Wangdue Phodrang, this week. The stakeholders stressed on the need to become self sufficient since the World Food Programme (WFP) has already started to withdraw their support. The programme will phase out in 2018.
More than 30,000 students, throughout the country, are supported by the WFP under the school feeding programme. The rest are supported by the government.
School Agriculture Programme (SAP) was introduced in 2000 to replace the phasing out project. Under the programme, schools grow their own vegetables.
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The Programme Officer of SAP, B.B Rai, said about 40 percent of the schools is covered by School Agriculture Programme. With about 30 percent of the country’s population in schools, the Programme Officer believes it is important to assure that the schools have nutritious diet.
Another pilot project has also been introduced by the Food and Agriculture Organization called farmers to school, since 2010. There are about 10 schools under this project.
The theme for the World Food Day was family farming, feeding the people, and caring for the earth.
