The objective of the TOT is to train academicians, researchers, and agriculture extension agents to further train farmers to implement smart farming technologies in Punakha – Wangduephodrang Districts, Bhutan.

The training is organized for five days from 3 to 7 May at the College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan. The participants are the agriculture faculty, researchers from two Agriculture Development Centre at Yusipang, Thimphu and Bajo, Wangduephodrang respectively. Agriculture Extension agents from Punakha and Wangduephodrang Districts will be engaged in the training. Extensions are the field staff of the Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest working closely with the farmers in their respective gewogs (blocks).

The facilitators/trainers of the training are from the SUNSpACe project Consortium i.e University of Lyon 2 (France), Cornivus University of Budapest (Hungray), Acme Engineering College (Nepal) and the Royal University of Bhutan. Training is planned to adopt hybrid method. Where, the resource person outside RUB will delivery through online while the participants and resource person from RUB will be face to face.

Training is planned to deliver content on IOT in Agriculture, data processing, Occupational health, Business modelling, Economics of growing crops in green house on the first day of the training. Demonstration of smart technologies such as automation of Agro-meterology and irrigation system in the smart lab at RUB, field visit to research center, government farm and progressive farmers in the Barp gewogs is planned. Field visits to a farmer’s farm are expected to understand farmer’s challenges and opportunities ahead for adoption of smart farming technology. While government farms and research centers will expose participants to the smart technologies in agriculture. Towards the end of the training focus is on linking smart technology with farming in Bhutanese context and adoption of appropriate methods to train G1A (trained) and Gl B (practitioners) groups of farmers.