The Bhutan Organic Project (BOP) promotes organic cultivation and food in Bhutan by connecting farmers, consumers, and companies.
Established in January 2025 under a JICA-commissioned initiative led by Sun Smile Co., Ltd., BOP works to strengthen low-input organic farming, expand domestic markets, and ensure stable, high-quality production.
The Bhutan Organic Project (BOP) is an organization dedicated to the promotion and establishment of organic cultivation, organic agricultural products, and organic foods within Bhutan.
As part of this mission, this website has been launched as a portal for organic information in Bhutan, operated with the following perspectives in mind:
BOP was founded under the framework of a JICA-commissioned project implemented by Sun Smile Co., Ltd. The project, officially titled “Improvement of low-input organic farming techniques and stable sales using Chanachoeng Village as a model case” runs from December 2024 to November 2027 and serves as the foundation of BOP’s activities.
Since 2018, Sun Smile has worked with the aim of exporting Bhutanese organic products to Japan. However, due to various challenges, it became difficult to continue trade. As a solution, we planned to strengthen organic cultivation techniques and expand domestic demand for organic foods in Bhutan, thereby ensuring stable supply—both in quantity and quality—of organic produce, foods, and related products.
When this plan was submitted to JICA as a commissioned project, it was accepted, and the initial activities that later shaped this project began. From the early stages of trade preparation, Sun Smile has received great support from the Bhutanese Royal Family, government officials, companies, and farmers. The members of BOP are mainly drawn from those valuable connections.
BOP itself does not directly engage in sales or commercial transactions. However, BOP members and other stakeholders are free to conduct both B-to-B and B-to-C transactions. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us.
Plans for activities beyond December 2027 will be announced through BOP during the course of the project.
As this initiative is operated on a voluntary basis, there may occasionally be shortcomings or delays in communication. We kindly ask for your understanding. With the sincere wish that this site will contribute to achieving 100% Organic Bhutan, we will continue to dedicate our best efforts.
We promote eco-friendly farming practices that conserve our environment and resources. Together, we can build a sustainable future for Bhutan.
We bring together farmers, businesses, and consumers to create a supportive community around organic practices. Your involvement makes a difference.
We embrace new techniques and technologies in organic farming to enhance productivity while maintaining our commitment to health and the environment.
We offer resources and training for organic farming to empower individuals and groups. Knowledge sharing is key to advancing our community's goals.
Our dedicated team is here to promote organic farming practices and share the goodness of Bhutan’s natural produce.
Hello, my name is Tomonori Matsuura, and I serve as the overall leader of the Bhutan Organic Project (BOP).
I am Japanese, and for about 30 years I have been managing an organic shop called Sun Smile in Japan.
Through this work, I have been partnering with organic farmers and those practicing fertilizer-free and pesticide-free cultivation, while also operating a distribution business that connects them directly to consumers.
In addition, I manage a medical clinic offering Shiatsu, a traditional Japanese healing art, and I am involved in publishing as well as several NGO activities.
My interest in organic food goes back to my childhood in the 1980s.
At that time, my mother was very weak and often bedridden — one active day would be followed by three days in bed.
She would vomit when eating food grown with chemical pesticides, which made her even weaker.
However, when she began eating organic vegetables and rice, her body responded well, and she gradually regained her strength.
Today, she is still in good health.
This experience inspired a deep conviction within me — “I want to become a farmer and deliver safe and healthy food to as many people as possible.”
With that determination, I entered the Faculty of Agriculture to study under Professor Manabu Katano, who was researching organic and environment-friendly agriculture, including fertilizer-free natural farming.
After graduation, I worked in the organic retail and distribution field, and in November 1997, I founded Sun Smile Co., Ltd.
At the beginning, I had no shop—just a box of organic mandarins that I carried door to door, sharing my wish to spread organic farming in Japan.
Over time, I expanded the business to include vegetable delivery sets, wholesale and distribution services, a Shiatsu clinic, retail shops, a distribution center, a publishing division, and NGO activities.
My connection with Bhutan began in May 2018, when I first visited the country through an Organic Adzuki Bean Project.
During the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, His Majesty the King of Bhutan visited Japan and gave a heartfelt speech in the National Diet, which deeply encouraged the Japanese people.
Since learning about Bhutan’s national philosophy of GNH (Gross National Happiness), I had long dreamed of visiting someday—yet I never imagined that I would later have the honor of working together with Bhutanese people in such a meaningful way.
Details of my activities in Bhutan since 2018 are described elsewhere on this website.
Through this project, I sincerely hope to contribute, even in a small way, to Bhutan’s journey toward becoming 100% organic.
I also wish to help share Bhutan’s wisdom, its GNH philosophy, and the beauty of its organic culture with the world—so that more people everywhere may live in true happiness.
Lastly, although I prefer not to emphasize titles, I have listed my main positions and qualifications below as of September 2025 for your reference.
Born in Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture Japan, I have been engaged in the production and sales of sweet potatoes and dried sweet potatoes for over 40 years, inheriting my family’s farming business.
In the 1990s, I expanded the farm to 90 hectares and achieved annual sales of 900 million yen. However, repeated nuclear accidents brought severe reputational damage to agriculture in our region. Through this experience, I began to question deeply what “truly sustainable agriculture, independent of external environments” really means.
As a result, I completely shifted to 100% organic farming—a way of agriculture that coexists in harmony with nature. Without relying on chemical fertilizers or pesticides, I have pursued soil cultivation that maximizes the natural power of microorganisms in the soil, combining scientific data with traditional wisdom.
I also built a dried sweet potato processing plant that meets HACCP standards and established a local organic produce store and an additive-free café that promote resource recycling. Through these efforts, I have been redesigning local agriculture toward a safe, secure, and circular society.
Since 2013, starting with a dried sweet potato project in Tanzania, I have expanded activities to Australia and Singapore, establishing local companies and promoting an agricultural model in which “nature and people coexist in harmony.” In recent years, I founded the Japan SDGs Agriculture Association to advance sustainable agriculture and community development on a global scale.
The philosophy of Bhutan—a nation aspiring to become 100% organic—resonates deeply with my own life’s philosophy. I believe in nature, in people, and in listening to the voice of the land. Drawing upon my experience in Japan and abroad, I wish to learn and grow together with the people of Bhutan, passing on the true richness that comes from harmony with nature to future generations.
It has been a great honor and opportunity for me to be part of the JICA Organic Project. My journey into organic farming began in 2017, when I had the privilege to work closely with Mr. Tomonori Matsuura from Sun Smiles Company on the Organic Azuki Bean Project. That experience marked a turning point in my understanding of what truly defines organic agriculture.
Before joining the project, I believed that all crops grown in Bhutan could be considered organic by default. However, through the training I received from the National Organic Programme (NOP), and with the knowledge and guidance from Matsuura-san, I came to realize that without proper certification from the National Centre for Organic Agriculture (NCOA), a product cannot be officially recognized or marketed as organic.
From the Organic Azuki Bean Project to our current initiative—Improvement of Low Input Organic Farming Techniques and Stable Market Access through the Model Case of Chanachen Village—I have observed that Bhutanese organic farmers continue to face numerous challenges, both technically and in terms of marketing. Despite their hard work and dedication to organic practices, many farmers are forced to sell their products at the same price as conventional (inorganic) goods due to the lack of market differentiation and awareness.
As the project’s Deputy Leader and translator, I can confidently say that adopting the techniques shared by Terunuma-san, who brings over 30 years of experience in organic farming, can greatly enhance the quality and productivity of Bhutanese organic produce. On the marketing front, the expertise of Yukiko Matsuura and Tomonori Matsuura—each with over 30 years of experience in organic product sales—can significantly benefit Bhutan’s organic outlets and shops, opening up new and stable market avenues.
In conclusion, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all members of the JICA Organic Project for their unwavering support and commitment. I pledge to continue working hard to ensure the success and sustainability of this important initiative for the future of organic farming in Bhutan.
My name is Sonam Chophel, and I work with DrukSell, where my role brings me into close contact with farmers, producers, and communities across Bhutan who continue to practice organic and traditional agriculture.
Organic farming in Bhutan is not a recent trend—it is rooted in the way our grandparents worked the land, guided by seasons, local knowledge, and respect for nature.
As I travel and engage with farming communities, I am constantly reminded that organic agriculture is as much about patience and care as it is about food production.
Through my work, I have come to understand how deeply farmers depend on healthy soil, clean water, and biodiversity.
Many of them choose to farm without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, even when it is more labor-intensive, because they understand that the long-term health of the land directly affects the well-being of their families and future generations.
Working closely with these farmers has changed the way I view food.
Every grain, vegetable, and product carries a story—of early mornings in the fields, unpredictable weather, and a quiet commitment to farming in harmony with nature.
At DrukSell, we aim to support this commitment by helping farmers add value to their produce and reach markets that appreciate organic and ethically produced goods.
By creating fair and transparent market connections, we hope to make organic farming not only environmentally sustainable, but also economically viable for rural communities.
Bhutan’s vision of sustainability and its philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) provide a meaningful framework for this work.
Organic farming aligns naturally with these principles, as it protects ecosystems while nurturing physical, social, and spiritual well-being.
As Bhutan continues its journey toward strengthening organic agriculture, collaboration and shared responsibility are essential.
Through partnerships, learning, and mutual respect, we can support farmers in preserving traditional knowledge while adapting to modern challenges.
By sharing these reflections, I hope to bring greater awareness to the value of organic farming in Bhutan and beyond.
It is my belief that when we support organic agriculture, we are not only choosing healthier food, but also contributing to a more balanced and compassionate way of living.
The expectations of DAMC from the Bhutan Organic Project are as follows:
Be part of a growing community dedicated to sustainable farming. Support local farmers, attend our events, or explore volunteering opportunities. Every contribution makes a difference.
