Back to news

Linking Pilot Interventions to Policy Formulation

2 mins Read

70% Complete

Large cardamom is a high value cash crop and a leading source of livelihood for a large number of people in the eastern hill districts of Nepal. More than 66,000 farmers and their families grow large cardamom in Taplejung, Sangkhuwasabha, Ilam and Panchthar. According to the Trade and Expert Promotion Center (TEPC), large cardamom is cultivated in 12,453 hectares nationwide producing a total of 5,103 metric tons of cardamom annually. Large cardamom is the top trade revenue contributor among the agriculture based exportable commodities and is up 52 per cent from 2014-15.

Realising the influence large cardamom has on the livelihoods of mountain people and ecosystem services, ICIMOD and Environment Conservation and Development Forum (ECDF), Taplejung began working together in 2015 to reduce risks and diversify income generation options through promoting climate resilient good practices on large cardamom farming by making adjustments in biophysical resources and technologies along with strengthening market linkages. To appraise concerned departments and development organisations on issues and challenges value chain actors (producers, processors and traders) face and interventions made under Himalica pilot project in Taplejung, an interaction programme was organised in Kathmandu on 22 May 2016. The programme was moderated by ECDF and in attendance were the minister of Agricultural Development, parliament members from eastern hill districts, central committee members of major political parties, the secretary of Ministry of Agricultural Development, the chief and other officials from National Spice Crops Development Programme, Ministry of Industry, National Agricultural Research Council, as well as representatives from Unnati Programme, and Himalica / ICIMOD, Cardamom Traders Federation, cardamom producers, and journalists.

Addressing the interaction program, the Minister of Agriculture,  Haribol Gajurel,  said he was convinced of the need to create a large cardamom development board and would put forward the agenda in the upcoming cabinet meeting. The participants of the programme highlighted a need to address both short and long-term problems related to production as well as trans-boundary trade issues, and have coordinated efforts to increase access of services rendered by various organisations including market information from national and international markets.

The interaction programme was successful in terms of developing common understanding among high-level policy makers on issues related to sustainable development of large cardamom in Nepal. The programme agreed the need for:

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

25 Sep 2017 Atmosphere Initiative
Signing of an agreement between ICIMOD and SIDA

As part of its mission to reduce poverty in the world through development cooperation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ...

8 Sep 2015 News
A Paramount Rural Experience

Traveling to the remote far western district of Darchula for the first time put me in a state of pandemonium ...

21 Feb 2018 Ecosystem services
Manual on Planning Management for Ecosystem Services Launched

The operations manual can be of use in most terrestrial environments of the world. Its purpose is to include ecosystem ...

10 Jun 2018 HI-LIFE
HILIFE team conducts ethnobotanical study in nine villages in Myanmar

The study was conducted with a joint team from the Forest Department (FD) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and ...

ICIMOD Joins Hand for Tourism Development in Bahundangi

A day-long long national level campaign to promote tourism in Bahundangi was held 13 April 2016 in Bahundangi, Jhapa. The ...

13 Mar 2015 News
Web-related Training for NEPA Afghanistan

A training on web development and content management was organized for four representatives of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA ...

6 Jun 2016 KSL
Springshed Management Training at Godavari

Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL), HI-AWARE and Water Land and Ecosystem (WLE) initiatives of ICIMOD jointly with Advanced Center for Water Resouces ...