The Political Economy of Cardamom Farming in Eastern Nepal: Crop Disease, Coping Strategies, and Institutional Innovation

Abstract

This study investigated farmers' strategies for coping with disease in large cardamom in eastern Nepal, which has undergone a tremendous decline in production. Conducting a political economy analysis on data from Ilam district, this study investigated the impact of crop disease on farmers' livelihoods, as well as both individual and institutional efforts to combat the disease. Strategies varied by household circumstances (size of landholding, alternative income sources, and access to supporting institutions). They included burning fields, changing land use patterns, diversifying crops, and seeking institutional support. Due to weak capacity, local government support was limited to providing training and distributing new varieties of cardamom. During a crisis, farmers expect government institutions to help, especially when customary practices have not solved the problem. To protect and improve farmers' livelihoods, institutional innovation at the community level is needed, along with policies that provide immediate and sustainable support during crises.

Large Cardamom Farming in Eastern Nepal: Identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

“…However, the first choice for farming according to the farmers is always large cardamom. Additionally, engaging in small businesses, foreign employment and seeking stable 9-to-5 jobs are strategies employed by local people to supplement their agricultural income (Gentle & Maraseni, 2012;KC & Upreti, 2017;Oyekale & Oladele, 2012;Rakib et al, 2014).…”

“…Weaknesses Despite its huge potential, large cardamom farming faces several challenges. The most important one is the loss of production due to disease infestation and environmental stresses, which directly affects the income, and hence, the livelihoods of farmers (Bhattarai, 2016;KC & Upreti, 2017). These challenges have prompted farmers to shift towards improved varieties of large cardamom.…”

“…The transition from cultivating traditional varieties through traditional methods to more scientific and intensive practices for modern varieties of large cardamom present significant opportunities for growth and sustainability of large cardamom farming. Additionally, diversification into alternative crops becomes a viable possibility to compensate for large cardamom losses (Indrawanto et al, 2021;Kurdyś-Kujawska, 2021). Moreover, government should focus on proper market management and facilitation of trade can potentially alleviate the challenges faced by farmers and can motivate them to continue large cardamom farming.…”

“…In addition to the decreased market price, the prevalence of diseases in crops has also been reported in recent years (Sharma et al, 2016;Yadav et al, 2021). Diseased plants in turn cannot produce good grade products and thus cannot fetch available higher market price (Kattel et al, 2020) which negatively impacts the livelihoods of farmers, prompting them to shift towards crop diversification (KC & Upreti, 2017).…”