Nepalese cocoyam

In rural Nepal, women are responsible for up to 80% of agricultural production.[7] Cocoyams are largely produced by female subsistence farmers, thus the crop is commonly associated with low socio-economic status.[2] As cocoyam production is generally an informal activity driven by women on small scale farms, the commercialization and investment in this crop would significantly impact the most vulnerable groups in Nepal.[2] According to a 2005 study carried out by the FAO, women in the high mountainous regions of Nepal contribute more in agricultural production than their male counterpart.[7] In order to benefit female hillside farmers, the commercialization of cocoyam would require an increase in women’s access to development opportunities[7] in order to maintain their control over farms. In the high hills and mountainous regions of Nepal the cultivation of land and transport of crops is carried out by livestock such as oxen.[8] This practice is associated with the cultural practices of the Tibetans that reside in these regions.[8] By promoting the mass production of cocoyam for export, new technologies of agricultural cultivation would be required,[9] eliminating the traditional use of livestock for farming and undermining indigenous practices.

In 1990 the price per tonne of cocoyam was shown to be 75.7% higher than cassava and 38.2% higher than sweet potato.[10] For a Nepalese hillside farmer, selling surplus cocoyam to locals presents challenges due to the crop’s higher selling point. However, if cocoyam was to be commercialized and exported overseas, the higher value of the crop would instead benefit Nepalese farmers as they would experience higher revenues than the previous mentioned root crops.[11] Due to current land ownership and tenancy rights in Nepal, land rents require 50% of all agro production to be given to the landowner.[8] According to Hindu law, male offspring come into ownership of parental land holdings.[7] In order for cocoyam cultivation to be economically sustainable and beneficial to female farmers, land reform and public policy would have to shift towards a more gender equal practice of agriculture.[7]

In a commercialized setting where cocoyams require mass cultivation, the problem of pests and diseases will increase in severity.[3] Cocoyam root rot disease and taro leaf blight are common to cocoyam crops.[2] These diseases can exceed one growing season due to the cocoyam’s propagation method of transmitting diseases onto the next generation,[2] sometimes resulting in yield losses of up to 100%.[10] Therefore, in order for cocoyam to become commercialized, Nepalese farmers need to be educated in disease prevention and given the proper inputs to eliminate the occurrence of the spread of disease.[10] Cocoyam grows best in the mountainous and hill regions of Nepal, accounting for a combined 65% of all arable land.[8] Although inputs such as fertilizer are increasingly important for intensive crop cultivation in these regions, manure remains the central source of soil fertility and nutrient replenishment.[8] The mass production of cocoyam in this region would require chemical fertilizers rather than manure.[8] The current system of land ownership in Nepal produces a short-term focus on land investment and production, ignoring long-term investments such as terracing and tree planting to avoid soil erosion and the use of fertilizers.[8] The commercialization of cocoyam would require long-term investment in land and soil to enable mass production and sustainability.