  In search of better thermoelectric materials, we have systematically
investigated the thermoelectric properties of a 122 Zintl phase compound
EuCd$_{2}$As$_{2}$ using \textit{ab-initio} density functional theory and
semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory within constant relaxation time
approximation. Considering the ground state magnetic structure which is A-type
antiferromagnetic (A-AFM) and non-magnetic (NM) structure, we evaluated various
thermoelectric parameters such as Seebeck coefficient, electrical and thermal
conductivity, power factor and figure of merit (ZT) as function temperature as
well as chemical potential. Almost all thermoelectric parameters show
anisotropy between $xx$ and $zz$ directions which is stronger in case of A-AFM
than in NM. Both A-AFM and NM phase of the compound display better
thermoelectric performance when hole doped. We observed high Seebeck
coefficient and low electronic thermal conductivity in A-AFM phase along $zz$
direction. The remarkably high ZT of 1.79 at 500 K in A-AFM phase and ZT$\sim$1
in NM phase suggest that EuCd$_{2}$As$_{2}$ is a viable thermoelectric material
when p-doped.
