Women in State Building through Engaging in High Value Cash Crops in Post-Conflict Nepal: Exploring the Linkages
Publisher: Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research
Author(s): Bishnu Raj Upreti, Sharmila Shivakoti, and Supriya Gurung
Date: 2017
Topics: Economic Recovery, Gender, Governance, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Nepal
Nepal entered the state building process after signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2006, thus ending the decade long bloody armed conflict between the state and the rebel Nepal Communist Party (Maoist). While women were an integral part of the fighting force in the civil war, they have retained this sense of activism and are engaged in the current state building process as well. In this paper, we examine the role of women in state building through engagement in high value cash crops with specific focus on the cardamom (Amomum subulatum) crop in Eastern Nepal. A mixed method approach has been used in this research. Quantitative designs entailed a survey spanning 513 households, while qualitative designs entailed focus group discussions, transaction visits, in-depth interviews, and key informant interviews. Findings indicate that women have contributed to the post conflict state building process. Women’s engagement in cash crop led to social, economic, and political empowerment of women and subsequently contributed to the state building process. The contribution of women through production of cardamom has led to community stability via employment opportunities, community reconciliation and service delivery. This paper concludes that women’s engagement in direct income generating activities, particularly high value cash crop production, is a practical strategy to contribute to the state building process.