There are a growing number of non-governmental organizations responding to the inequities
of the global food trade through the support of community-based agriculture programs.
However, these outside efforts to assist rural communities often clash with the objectives of
government initiatives and agro-industry. At a governmental level, the countries of Bhutan
and Thailand have implemented policies which boldly respond to the impacts of globalization
on local food production. These countries have recognized that maintaining rural livelihoods
requires a localized form of sustainable economic development. His Majesty King Jigme
Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan initiated the policy of “Gross National Happiness” as a means to