Strengthening Soil Laboratory Facilities and Performance to Support Evidence-Based Decision-Making

Bhutan is facing serious issues with land degradation, driven by unsustainable agricultural practices, such as overgrazing, as well as infrastructure construction lacking adequate environmental measures, including mining This is further problematic because Bhutan is a mountainous country, with existing land degradation problems, such as soil erosion, landslides and severe losses in soil fertility These issues further compound issues with agricultural productivity, the environment and food security and the overall quality of life Furthermore, the country lacks a national soil map and there is very limited data available on soil quality Existing soil data are outdated and scattered among institutions, often having been collected through ad hoc surveys, and fundamental data, such as geographic location description ( of sampling sites, is missing, with limited soil profiles mapped Analytical soil data is crucial for decision making regarding soil fertility, which impacts various key areas, including food security, agriculture, the environment, climate change and sustainable development.