Cashew Value Chain Enhancement Project I & II

“Quality Cashew is Good Business” is a well-known phrase throughout cashew growing zones in Senegal and surrounding countries. We implemented the Cashew Enhancement Project (CEP) in the region from 2009-2017 to improve productivity for thousands of small, low-income cashew farmers and increase regional trade. The project operated in two phases in Senegal, Guinea Bissau, and The Gambia, reaching more than 30,300 cashew producers and processors.

Increasing Livelihoods Through Improved Agricultural Productivity

Teams worked across the cashew value chain to increase capacity to produce high-quality products and promoted business models that supported sustainable incomes. We sponsored two “innovation challenge grants,” which funded research and application of alternative non-food uses of cashew apples, pulp, and shells, generating ideas to diversify income streams. Teams also leveraged technology to improve information availability via SMS and radio programs and expanded access to updated equipment on farms and in processing plants. Over the course of the program, use of new cultivation and harvest technologies and farm management training provided through more than 400 community-based farmer field schools, contributed to increased cashew yields and expanded farm sizes.

Training Farmers in Farm Management, Business, and Record-Keeping

The project also helped producers better manage the business side of farming with improved record-keeping, cost and investment tracking, and training on maximizing potential revenue. Tools and training were designed to account for low-literacy rates in the region to ensure that information was accessible.