Social and economic analysis of dependencies within organic sectors in developing countries has not received much attention within the scientific literature. This PhD project intends to provide a description of the organic sector at the micro, meso and macro level in Bhutan. Specifically, it will explore the role of dependencies in the development of organic agriculture. At the macro level, it will show the connections between various stakeholders and barriers to understand the key players and binding barriers in the system. At the meso level, it will investigate the collaboration between extension agents as the primary contact at the field level with farmers to implement organic principles and policies. At the micro level, it will look at community labor exchange dynamics to understand how organic operators substitute labor for agrochemicals. It also looks at the network effects of transport use on production and marketing of organic products. Using Social Network Analysis as a framework, policy recommendations for the Royal Government of Bhutan and other relevant actors in organic farming will be derived by the envisaged PhD research. Generally, the research will contribute to the social and economic understanding of organic sectors by highlighting the role of dependencies in the system.

Contact M.Sc. Tshotsho Tshotsho