Cashew Value Chain Competitive Enhancement Project:
in the Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal
International Relief & Development
May 23rd, 2011
Cashew is Business
• USDA funded, monetized 4500 metric tons
of soybean oil and generated approximately
$3.7 million in program income
• A highly desirable commodity, which is not
locally produced, US soy oil has been well
received in the local markets
• Local production of vegetable oil
(groundnut, sesame) is negligible. Local
demand is met primarily through imports
• Sale was conducted in fair market
conditions and prices were competitive
Cashew is Business
• “Cashew is Business” is the project’s
slogan, reflecting the project’s approach to
cashew production as a business enterprise
and to farmers as entrepreneurs.
Regional Project (September 2008- June 2012)
in three countries; Senegal, Gambia and
Guinea Bissau, focuses on addressing some of
the constraints in the cashew value chain to
enable better integration of cashews in the
local and regional market.
Cashew is Business
• Three Strategic Objectives:
– Capacity building of cashew
farmers associations to strengthen
their entrepreneurial and advocacy
skills to better manage and provide
leadership in the cashew value
chain;
– Identification of high yielding
varieties, promotion and
introduction of innovative
agronomic and post harvest
technologies; and
– Increase local consumption of
cashews through nutrition
education and provision of
appropriate small-scale processing
units to transform apple and nuts
into processed products.
Cashew is Business
• Reaches nearly 10,000 cashew
farmers and processors in Senegal,
Gambia and Guinea Bissau
• Provides intensive participatory
training on business management,
marketing, post harvesting and
handling and agricultural best
practices to improve the quality of
the cashew nuts.
• Supports 8 small scale local
processors in Gambia and Senegal
through the provision of
equipment and proper training
• Facilitates linkages among key
actors along the value chain:
farmers, processors, traders and
nut exporters
Activities
No. of Direct Beneficiaries
No. of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) registered
No. Local Cashew Facilitators trained in Business Marketing
and Production Practices (BIMO Modules)
No. of formalized groups and % of total
Total formalized group membership
No. of collective sales contracts and % total
Gambia
%
Senegal
%
Totals
2662.4
3369.2
6032
175
213
388
215
366
581
63
49%
2629
65
50%
1646
127
4275
7
5%
23
17%
30
No. of FFS that completed BIMO sessions
68
73%
6
6%
74
No. of FFS that completed Module 7
88
95%
49
53%
137
No. of FFS that completed Module 8
78
84%
12
13%
90
No. of FFS with 75% completion of all the modules
83
89%
19
20%
102
No. of FFS that completed all the Modules
63
68%
0
0%
63
Cashew is Business
Key Outcomes To Date:
• Noticeable increase in
farmers registering in
Farmers Associations
• Farmers report an
increased awareness of
cashew nut quality
requirements.
• Better understanding of
the highly volatile
marketing season and
better price negotiations
skills
• High quality of nuts in
the Gambia in particular
led to a premium price
being paid to the farmers
Thank you
International Relief and Development
Dalia Emara, demara@ird-dc.org
Stacy Crevello, screvello@ird-dc.org