In Bhutan, outmigration from the east of the country to the more urban districts of the west, and abroad, has been increasing. This resulted in ‘Gungtong’ or agricultural absentee households, leading to underuse and abandonment of farmland – a fallow period known as ‘Satong’. The country is experiencing over 50% decrease in paddy rice harvests, resulting in increased food imports and their associated costs. This prompted the Bhutan government to seek ICIMOD’s support in addressing increasing outmigration in the country.

Bhutan and Nepal share common outmigration problems in the mid-hill regions. As a response, in 2024, ICIMOD convened a learning exchange between Bhutan and Nepal parliamentarians to support the development of national laws and policies to address outmigration in both countries. After the learning visit in the country, insights and lessons learned from the visit helped concretise the recommendations of the Good Governance Committee for Bhutan’s National Council to earmark 10% of its annual grant to improving rural farm-to-market infrastructure. They also invested BTN five billion (USD 58 million) in livestock and crop insurance to help communities manage human-wildlife conflict in migration hotspots, Atong and Gungtong in the country. In Nepal, the Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resource Committee (ACNRC), undertakes rapid assessments of human-wildlife conflict and Protected Areas benefit-sharing mechanisms in the country. The report’s policy recommendations will be presented in Nepal’s parliament in 2025 for discussion, prioritisation, subsequent adoption, and resource allocation.