Cardamom is used in spice mixtures, beverages, baked goods, confectionaires and meat products. Know as the 'queen of spices,' cardamom grows best in tropical forests that receive consistent rainfall and have temperatures similar to those where vanilla is grown in Uganda. An ideal diversification crop, cardamom can be intercropped with banana, cocoa and coffee.

The goal of APEP is to diversify crops grown by Ugandan farmers through the establishment of a sustainable cardamom producing industry. The appeal of such an intervention is enhanced by a four month cardamom harvest cycle, stable international prices for cardamom throughout the previous decade and production costs in Uganda that easily match those of the main producing countries.
 

The APEP cardamom program is being implemented in partnership with Uganda Crop Industries Limited (UCIL). UCIL has launched a national education and awareness program focused on cardamom. The objective of the APEP funded program is to distribute 250,000 cardamom seedlings to the Bundibugyo and Mukono districts. UCIL and APEP technical staff are also implementing a comprehensive training program for cardamom smallholders on production and processing technologies.