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Agriculture
Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum) is a high value cash crop and a major source of cash income for farmers in the eastern Himalayan region, including eastern Nepal; Sikkim and parts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts in West Bengal, India; and Southern Bhutan. Given its high value, farmers are able to make substantial profits even with the production and sale of small quantities of cardamom. Nepal is the biggest producer of large cardamom in the world, with a 68% share of the global market.
There has been increasing demand for large cardamom in global markets. However, climate change and its impacts have made cardamom farming difficult and expensive. Farmers are facing drought, increase in pests and disease infestation, erratic rainfall patterns, and unpredictable hailstorms and snowfall. Traditional farming methods have not been able to cope with these new challenges and yields have started to decline.
Furthermore, most large cardamom farmers rely solely on this crop for their livelihood, making them more vulnerable when production fluctuates, or market prices drop. For instance, in 2014, the price of cardamom capsules reached USD 28 per kg, but dropped to USD 10 per kg in 2017. This drop in price heavily affected the farmers, as most farmers were solely dependent on income from the crop.
By adopting climate resilient farming practices, creating value added cardamom-based products and diversifying their crops, large cardamom farmers can hope to sustain production and also improve their incomes.
Our pilot project Himalica (2012-2018) helped build resilience in the cardamom production system in Taplejung, Nepal, the country’s largest cardamom producing district, by promoting simple and affordable practices. In recent years, large cardamom farmers in the district have been facing a reduction in yield due to viral diseases and poor soil conditions. In partnership with the Environment Conservation and Development Forum (ECDF), we encouraged farmers in the region to diversify their income by incorporating other horticulture crops and livestock in the farming system, as well as helping them add value to their produce after harvesting.
Building on, and considering knowledge on local farming, Himalica introduced different resilient technologies and practices that farmers could easily adopt with locally sourced material. We developed a Package of practices (PoP) to promote climate-resilient cardamom value chain in Nepal with the following practices:
To ensure that the farmers do not have to rely solely on the production of large cardamom for their livelihood, they were encouraged to pursue additional, alternative sources of income such as –
Instead of only selling cardamom pods at lower costs, our partner, SABAH (SAARC Business Association of Home-Based Workers) was brought in to develop potential products using large cardamom as raw material. Communities in Taplejung received training to make these products.
Entrepreneurs in Taplejung are now using cardamom as the main ingredient for products such as cardamom powder, cardamom tea, and biryani masala. The cardamom stalks are also being use to weave bags, purses and placemats that can be sold as souvenirs in Kathmandu and beyond. The products are promoted and sold under the brand “Himalica: Products from mountain people”.
More than 400 households in Taplejung have adopted the package of practices. Early results indicate that the practices have improved soil structure, soil water-retention capacity and soil aeration, which have led to a better microclimate. Large cardamom production in the region has also started to increase. While traditional farming yielded 350 gm of dried cardamom capsules per clump, the newer practices have resulted in 750 gm of dried capsules per clump.
“After receiving training from experts, we are now able to put up a better fight against climate change impacts using new knowledge,” – Dambar Bahadur Karki of Taplejung
Convinced by the success of the pilot, the National Spice Crop Development Programme of the Department of Agriculture, Nepal, collaborated with us to co-publish a manual in Nepali titled ‘Resource Book for Farmers: Climate-Resilient Practices for Sustainability of Large Cardamom Production Systems in Nepal.’ The manual has also been published in English in partnership with The Mountain Institute, Sikkim, and Sikkim Agriculture Development Bank.
The newly elected representatives of the Fungling Municipality in Taplejung, Nepal, also invited us to support them in developing their plans for sustainable development of agriculture, with a particular focus on large cardamom.
Each of the RMS solutions are linked to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the UN in 2015. The SDGs that this intervention contributes to are as follows:
