At a time when countless young Bhutanese were rushing to cities, chasing jobs and the promise of urban success, five graduates from Panbang quietly chose the opposite direction. While their peers climbed corporate ladders, Leki Chedup and his four friends walked back to the fields of their childhood—armed with ambition, science, and a belief that the future of Bhutan could grow from the soil up.
Their idea was simple but bold: What if youth-led farming could be modern, sustainable, profitable—and transformative?
Hands in the soil, eyes on the future—growing more than crops
In 2019, Leki turned that belief into action. With 17 founding members, he established the Panbang Youth Cooperative (PYC). Seven years later, PYC has evolved into a dynamic enterprise with 23 employees and four departments—production, processing, marketing, and nursery. What began as a hopeful experiment has become one of Bhutan’s most compelling rural success stories.
Their 12-acre government-leased farm in Zhemgang now buzzes with life. Rows of fruits and vegetables stand beside poultry sheds, fish ponds, and dairy units—forming a fully integrated agro-livestock system. Here, modern machinery works hand in hand with traditional knowledge. Here, science meets soil. And here, young Bhutanese prove that farming is not a fallback—it’s a force for the future.
In the fields where dreams take root and grow.
With support from government agencies, national NGOs, and international partners, PYC has become a testing ground for innovative rural projects. Challenges remain—human–wildlife conflict from the nearby Royal Manas National Park, pests, diseases, and the shifting realities of climate change. Yet Leki treats these not as setbacks but as springboards.
His next vision? Agritourism—turning challenges into income, learning, and community engagement, if the right partners step forward.
Young, driven, and making a difference—together.
Despite obstacles, PYC continues to climb. Coffee is now a new venture, making them a major supplier of saplings across Bhutan. Their dream is to brand, market, and one day export coffee proudly grown in Panbang.
While others are still chasing dreams, PYC is living theirs—sweating for it, growing it, and proving it every day. From a quiet corner of Bhutan, a youth cooperative is rewriting what ambition looks like. Their impact may have started small, but its ripples are reaching far beyond Panbang.
A young team. A fearless idea. And a story that reminds us: sometimes the most powerful revolutions begin in the simplest fields.