Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

Self Help Africa (SHA) proposes to mobilize different designs and approaches developed and improved as a result of the many SHA experiences, particularly in West Africa. The proposed action aims to contribute to the improvement of women's living conditions in cashew nut production areas in the Cascades and Hauts Bassins regions by strengthening the economic empowerment of 2790 households operating in the cashew nut sector.

The objectives of the action are:

- O1: Increasing the productivity of cashew nut plantations

- O2: Improving women's access to the business assets needed to process Cashew fruits

Expected results

Through its complementary actions, the project will achieve the following results:

1. Increase the capacities and knowledge of female cashew nut growers to benefit economically, ecologically and nutritionally from sustainable, intensified and diversified production of cashew nut orchards;

2. Increase the capacities and knowledge in post-harvest management, value chain development and market access;

3. Increase the capacities and knowledge of women producers and processors in enterprise development and strengthen the capacities of cooperatives and processing units.

4. Create conditions favorable to the social and economic development of women in the cashew nut sector.

Target group / Beneficiaries

SHA proposes to target 2790 women as direct beneficiaries, in particular cashew nut producers and processors in Comoé, Houet and Kénédougou, who are organized in 5 cashew nut producers' cooperatives, and formal and informal groups of craft processors, as well as non-land-owning women working alongside their husbands in the targeted communes.

Activities

Capacity building and knowledge of women tree owners on cashew nut production;

Diversification of agro-ecological production in orchards for women tree owners and cashew nut producers' wives;

Promotion of climate-sensitive agro-ecological techniques for women orchard owners;

Increase and improvement of raw nut storage capacity;

Strengthening technical capacities in the processing of cashew nuts and apples;

Improving market access;

Improvement of women's trade and entrepreneurship capacities, organizational development and financial management;

Awareness-raising on gender issues.

Context

Burkina Faso's agricultural sector represents 21.7% of GDP on average over the 2013-2017 period, and employs 80% of the working population. The national authorities, aware of the leading role of this sector in the economy, place particular emphasis on the development of agriculture, which is currently facing two strategic challenges: the intensification and diversification of agricultural production.

The cashew nut sector is particularly important in rural areas. About 45,076 households are involved in cashew nut production. Total production is estimated at 85,000 tons on areas estimated at 255,000 ha in 2015. The forecast for 2030 is around 200,000 tons. Men, women and young people are involved in tree maintenance and harvesting, but the majority of orchards belong to the head of the family, i.e. to a man. Some women own or operate orchards, individually or in associations.

Cashew nuts are mainly produced in the Hauts Bassins, Cascades, Sud-Ouest and Centre-Ouest regions of Burkina Faso. The Hauts Bassins and Cascades regions are the largest cashew nut processing areas with the involvement of industrial processors. The yield in the area is 399 kg/ha compared to a potential of 900 kg/ha. The Hauts Bassins and Cascades regions have great potential for the development of the cashew nut sector.

It is estimated that there are 15,000 producers in the project area. The average farm size of these producers is 3 to 5 hectares, and the average annual income ranges from EUR 133 to EUR 400 per hectare.