International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD): Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation Programme (Himalica)

Lalitpur, Nepal

An Overview Of Our Solution

The Large cardamom is boon for farmers of the Eastern Himalayas with crop’s attributes of low volume, high value, non-perishable, grows on marginal lands and favors agroforestry systems exactly fitting the mountain niches having both economic and ecological significance. Increasing demand for large cardamom in the local and global markets has motivated farmers to bring more land under cardamom plantation. At the same time, high fluctuations in yield and price variability have resulted in more seriousness among farmers in terms of exploring sustainable production practices. Against this backdrop, Himalica, a pilot programme of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is promoting biodiversity friendly package of practices (POP) on nitrogen fixing alder based large cardamom agroforestry in Taplejung, Nepal.

Who is this solution impacting?

Community Type

Rural

Organization type

Other

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Forests

Population impacted

1,500 households

Size of agricultural area

4,200 hectares

Production quantity

1,410 metric tons

People employed

15 people

Describe your solution

1.Institution building - Strengthened farmer’s groups & coops, & helped on alliance building & networking to improve the bargaining power of producers. 2.Climate resilient package of practices ♣Soil & nutrient smart - Promoted simple low-cost practices like the use of well-decomposed dung, farmyard manure, and the planting of leguminous trees. Introduced the application of a cow urine and plant extract based bio-nutrient fertilizer and bio-pesticide, jholmol & the practice of intercropping nitrogen-fixing plants to enrich the soil nutrient base. Promoted the use of weeds as mulch around bushes, and the thinning of old dense trees in cardamom farms. ♣ Water smart - Encouraged water storage during the rainy season & use of sprinkler irrigation during dry periods. Farmers have dug several pits throughout their plantation stands to store water during the rainy season. ♣Energy smart - Promoted an improved dryer which consumes less fuel wood and emits less carbon while saving labour. Farmers were taught about constant monitoring of fire flames & reshuffling of capsules 3.Knowledge smart - Supplied information and communication technology based information on market price, supply volume, weather forecast and crop advisory services. 4.Livelihood diversification - Introduced beekeeping, kiwi vine fruit, shitake mushroom cultivation, & the production of legumes and vegetables in cardamom-based farming to help farmers diversify livelihood options & generate additional income.

Describe your implementation

Himalica, a pilot programme of the ICIMOD, together with partner organization Environment Conservation and Development Forum (ECDF), has been promoting climate-resilient practices in Taplejung with the objective of building the resilience of farming systems and providing multiple benefits that can improve the livelihoods and incomes of mountain marginal farmers. An important intervention of the pilot programme is to develop a package of practices in large cardamom farming which can be promoted along with training and demonstration strategies for improving cardamom production systems. The POP was developed based on field observations and interactions conducted in the large cardamom farming areas of Taplejung district in Nepal, and Sikkim and the Kalimpong region of West Bengal in India. Building the capacities of farmer’s groups as well as key stakeholders from the district and community levels are key to implementing the solutions identified above. The POP on cardamom has been demonstrated in selected farmers’ fields to demonstrate and showcase successful practices and technologies for more learning and up-scaling. The POP include practices and technologies that are climate smart, and address problems related to water, energy, soil health and weather, as well as gender and knowledge. These practices have been integrated into cardamom farming while incorporating other livelihoods options such as beekeeping, kiwi cultivation, shitake mushroom cultivation, and legume, vegetables and cardamom nurseries which lead to risk reduction and build resilient cardamom farming. All these practices and technologies were piloted and tested in partnership with the local implementing partner organization and other key stakeholders by mobilizing farmer’s groups and cooperatives at the community level. Private sector organizations like the Business Association of Home Based Workers (SABAH) were on board to help with product promotion and marketing through branding & packaging.

External connections

Various departments and centres were instrumental in the design and implementation of the programme interventions. These include: the department of agriculture, national spice crop development program, cardamom development centre and national cardamom trader association from the central level, district development committee, district agriculture office, district forest office, district livestock office, office of small cottage industry, district cardamom trader association, village development committees of pilot areas, and farmers groups and cooperatives. Joint monitoring of relevant stakeholders has been very effective in bringing members of the community to the centre of programme implementation and improvement. This POP includes climate-resilient practices and technologies to support local implementing partners, including non-governmental organizations, vocational training institutions, research and academic institutions, and community-based organizations to apply such practices on a wider scale. Knowledge sharing from the cardamom farmers of Sikkim, Kalimpong region of West Bengal, and the farmers of Taplejung District in eastern Nepal, and inputs provided by cardamom experts from Sikkim, India, have been instrumental to the development of this climate resilient package of practices on cardamom. Using GIS and remote sensing supported multiple methodology the suitability map for cardamom in Kanchenjunga Landscape is currently being developed.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

Over the years, the production and productivity of large cardamom has declined due to climate-induced and socio-economic changes. Extreme climate events such as drought, erratic rainfall, hailstorms or snowfall, & the incidence of pests & diseases have altered traditional management practices as well as the crop cycle. As a result of the effects of rising temperature, the flowering and harvesting season of cardamom has altered. The rates at which disease or pest infection affect cardamom plants has also been increasing. Thus, the cardamom farming system now demands more labor& increased investment in the form of water management, quality planting material, soil nutrient management, shade management, and pest and disease management. The practice of extracting fuel wood to dry cardamom capsules has degraded forests and negatively impacted water regulation, biodiversity and soil erosion. Large cardamom-based farming provides employment to marginal farmers & restores ecological health

Describe the context in which you are operating

Nepal is the largest producer of large cardamom in the world; more than 95% of the produce is marketed to India. In Taplejung, the livelihoods of 70% of the rural people depend on agro-forestry based large cardamom. Cardamom alone contributes 80% to farmers’ household incomes which they invest in food security, the education of children, health care and nutrition, and cardamom farm improvement. In recent years, cardamom farmers, have been facing a number of challenges due to the changing climate, marketing phenomena, and the feminization of agriculture. Climate change events such as droughts, hailstorms, snowfall, and the incidence of pests and diseases, and their impacts on large cardamom agroforestry are matters of great concern for cardamom growers in Nepal. These factors are mainly responsible for the decline in crop production and productivity in several districts of Nepal, including Taplejung.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

Farmers were against new ideas and practices in the beginning; thought that the use of manure and the removal of dense Alnus trees would completely damage cardamom crops. By raising awareness on climate smart agriculture practices through on-the-field capacity building activities including exposure visits to places where such practices had already been adopted by innovative farmers, and demonstrations of practices in selected demo-plots, the initiative was able to get very encouraging results and revive old cardamom stands. After witnessing demonstrations, many farmers started adopting said practices widely, and old stands gradually converted into productive ones. The application of FYM manure and mulching improved soil structure, and the humus content and water retention capacity of soil thereby allowing for better flowering and fruiting. Manure application along with mulching in cardamom clumps produced 18-22 thick & vigorous tillers and no manure clumps gave only 10-12 tillers.

Language(s)

English

Water

Water harvesting is an important element of stand management as it improves the soil moisture status of cardamom stands. Small water harvesting ponds have been created at suitable locations within cardamom plantations to arrest rainwater during the monsoon. The collected water is used during the dry season. In areas where there is an extreme shortage of water, farmers have dug several pits throughout the plantation stands to store water during the rainy season and increase soil moisture.

Food Security/Nutrition

Farmers are now producing many farm products (not only cardamom) like honey, mushroom, vegetables, kiwi, oranges etc. both for consumption at home and for sale in domestic and international markets. Though the livelihoods of 70% of the rural population in project site rely on agro-forestry based large cardamom. They are now trying to diversify cardamom production through integration of beekeeping and other intercrops, and value addition measures such as packaging and labelling...

Economic/Sustainable Development

Many climate-smart agricultural practices are being integrated into the cardamom farming system to get multiple benefits and ensure the sustainable development and well-being of mountain men and women. It has been recorded that a plot on which manure has been applied produces 750 gm dried cardamom capsules, whereas a plot where no manure and mulching have been used produces only 350 gm dried capsule. Farmers are raking in more benefits economically now than they were before.

Climate

Manure mulching, and thinning of dense and old trees in cardamom stands improve soil structure, water retention capacity & help circulate air well inside the cardamom stands creating a good micro-climate for cardamom. Farmers have also experienced that cardamom clumps with manure withstand heavy hailstone and drought for longer. Farmers now use less fuel wood for drying cardamom capsules than before because of an improved dryer, and the use of proper wood, resulting in less carbon emission.

Sustainability

The project was funded by the European Union and managed by ICIMOD in partnership with local partner organization, ECDF, Taplejung. Key stakeholders from the district and community levels including farmer’s groups and cooperatives support the initiative. The package of practices consists of climate resilient practices and technologies that are innovated locally based on a learning-by-doing experience. The project was based on a participatory approach, bringing community people and local stakeholders to the centre of decision making thereby ensuring strong ownership of the sustainability of interventions in the long run. The project has supported efforts to bring market actors closer to the producers & bring quality products to the markets.

Return on investment

Most of the resources are locally available, and can be out-scaled and up-scaled in wider areas. Resources and time are required for building the capacities of cardamom producers and local service providers to build their knowledge and skills relating to new climate resilient practices and market linkages. Once technologies are demonstrated in cardamom farms and farmers groups have been trained, the farmers themselves are able to pass on the new practices learnt to others. The revival of old cardamom stands improves biodiversity and the cooperation of community members who get together to promote the practice. Farmers from adjoining villages have already started adopting the practices through their own initiative.

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How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

The climate resilient practices & technologies on cardamom demonstrated in the project pilot sites have become a strong source of information. This has resulted in a multiplier effects where technology has been disseminated to other areas and villages. Farmer-to-farmer dissemination of information played a vital role in out-scaling successful practices to other villages. The district level project steering committee comprised of key stakeholders who played a significant role in bringing policy makers from the central departments to the pilot sites to showcase the successful climate resilient practices. All these efforts were supported with comprehensive capacity building support for all stakeholders at different levels, including farmers’ groups and cooperatives. Local organizations and farmers groups were facilitated in developing their own community plans which were later linked to the bottom-up local development planning process of the country.

Overview