Thimphu, October 10, 2025 – The Building Resilient Commercial Smallholder Agriculture (BRECSA) Project, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, has finalized the Training of Trainers (ToT) Manual on Nutrition Education for Sanam Jabchorpas. The two-day consultation meeting to review and finalize the manual was held in Thimphu on October 9 and 10, 2025.

Officials from the Project Management Unit (PMU), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL), Department of Public Health, and Dzongkhag Health Offices from Tsirang, Trongsa, Zhemgang, and Sarpang participated in the consultation meeting, which was organized in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) Bhutan.

The Nutrition Education Manual is designed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of Sanam Jabchorpas in nutrition-sensitive agriculture, adopting a food systems approach that connects production, post-harvest handling, preparation, and consumption to promote healthier dietary practices. It aims to foster positive and sustainable nutrition behaviours at the household level and empower Sanam Jabchorpas as frontline facilitators of the BRECSA Project.

Sanam Jabchorpas will use the manual to conduct nutrition education and awareness sessions with households across the project areas, helping communities adopt better food choices and dietary habits.

Bhutan continues to face a triple burden of malnutrition—micronutrient deficiencies, undernutrition (including stunting and underweight), and rising rates of overweight and obesity. This challenge, often described as hidden hunger, has significant implications for the country’s human capital development, particularly affecting women and children.

Through its nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions, the BRECSA Project is working closely with the Ministry of Health and the Tarayana Foundation to engage women and youth in community-based nutrition education campaigns. The use of model nutrition gardens will serve as practical learning sites to improve diets, boost health, and strengthen community resilience.

By aligning with Bhutan’s national nutrition priorities, the project seeks to ensure that every home garden and nutrition model garden contributes to reducing malnutrition and promoting healthier eating habits across communities.

Together, these efforts mark an important step towards building a healthier and more resilient Bhutan.