How we fight poverty
Cashew Farming
Most of the world’s cashews are grown by small-scale farmers in developing countries. Within the competitive cashew industry worldwide, improvements in production and processing can greatly increase returns to small-scale producers in regions like sub-Saharan Africa. TechnoServe works with cashew farmers and processors to improve their ability to earn more money from this $10 billion global industry.
Our Work in Cashew Production
TechnoServe takes a sustainable approach to support the cashew industry, most notably its development and growth. Our programs encourage job creation and improved farmer incomes.
Within the scope of the competitive cashew industry, TechnoServe works to increase production and quality around the world involves: developing cashew processing activities that improve efficiency and throughput, and building capacity for regulatory bodies in order to enhance the business ecosystem.
This can provide an important boost to developing economies. In Benin, for instance, cashew is the second-most valuable export, with annual production reaching nearly 140,000 tons.
TechnoServe’s Work in the Cashew Industry With USDA in Benin
When TechnoServe began its work in the cashew industry in Benin in 2015–with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)–only about four percent of the cashew produced was being processed locally. In 2019, largely due to our support for processors, we expect that figure to increase to 18 percent.
Who benefits from our work in cashew growing countries?
Small-scale farmers
Most cashews in developing countries are grown by farmers who own small plots of land and depend on their cashew crop as an important source of income. TechnoServe has worked with thousands of cashew farmers in Africa to improve the quality and yields of their crops in order to increase their incomes.
Local workers
Our work improving cashew production capacity in developing countries has helped create thousands of new jobs–over 3,400, for instance, in Benin alone. The majority of these new employment opportunities have gone to women.
Local businesses
TechnoServe has helped dozens of processing facilities in Africa to improve the quality and quantity of the cashews they produce. Since TechnoServe’s BeninCaju project began working with farmers and processors in 2015, sales of locally processed cashews have increased over 450 percent, and are expected to grow even further in the next few years.
National economies
By improving farmers’ cashew yields and the processing capacity of local businesses, TechnoServe is helping make cashews one of the most valuable exports in countries like Benin, where the sector’s improvements could increase the national GDP by as much as a few percentage points.
Cashew Projects
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Prosper Cashew: Strengthening Cashew Processing in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria
Prosper Cashew: Strengthening Cashew Processing in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria Context The global cashew market is a $12 billion industry and has grown almost seven times over the last four decades in terms of volume. West Africa is the world’s leader in cashew production, accounting for more than 45% of the raw cashew nuts…
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Drone-Assisted Mapping for Climate-Smart Cashew Production
In partnership with Wehubit, TechnoServe is implementing the CajùLab project to promote farmer adoption of climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices using emerging digital solutions, such as drones and machine learning.
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Catalyzing Systemic Change in Key Market Systems
The Feed the Future Mozambique Agricultural Innovations Activity (FTF INOVA) is a five year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by DAI, TechnoServe, and Market Shares Associates.
Blog Posts
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Vote for the Photo of the Month: February 2025
Our monthly photo series highlights the beauty and emotion in the lives of our clients around the world. This February, witness different facets of love–parental, communal, and environmental–that motivate our clients to lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty.
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Vote for the Photo of the Month: January 2025
Our monthly photo series highlights the beauty and emotion in the lives of our clients around the world. This month’s photos illustrate the important role that women farmers and entrepreneurs play in lifting themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty.
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Vote for the Photo of the Month: November 2024
Our monthly photo series highlights the beauty and emotion in the lives of our clients around the world. This month’s photos illustrate the interconnectedness of our global food system and the critical role smallholder farmers play.
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Help Struggling Farmers and Small Business Owners Lift Themselves Out of Poverty
