It’s a Sunday morning during monsoons in Lalitpur, a settlement on the outskirts of Kathmandu City and Krishna Debi is preparing Chattamari, fondly called ‘Nepali Pizza’ for some customers who sought refuge in her cafe as it began raining.

Case Study 1

Case Study 1

The imposing hills of Taplejung, a district in Eastern Nepal, are carpeted with large cardamom plantations.

One of Nepal’s leading large cardamom producing districts, Taplejung contributes the world’s largest output of the valuable spice.

Taplejung is also the place Lila Devi Dahal calls home. Dahal started off in 1998 as a home-based worker alongside her husband—in Nepal, home-based workers produce goods or services for the market from within or around their own homes.

The Eastern Himalayas straddle three South Asian nations, Nepal, India, and Bhutan, which also happen to be the main producers of large cardamom, a specialty spice that enjoys wide appeal across South Asia and the Middle East.

Recently, large cardamom has captured newer ground, making headway in European markets and the United States.

While international borders divide South Asia, the large cardamom value chains and its production in Nepal, India, and Bhutan share many similarities.