CNFA and Callivoire inaugurate the first Farm Service Center (FSC) in Côte d’Ivoire

The FSC model established by CNFA and Callivoire in Côte d’Ivoire will present producers in the Ivorian cocoa sector with a range of specialized services and advice, contributing to the long-term sustainability of the agricultural activity and improving the living conditions of farmers.

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food for Progress-funded Maximizing Opportunities in Cocoa Activity (MOCA) implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization based in Washington D.C., inaugurated the first Farm Service Center (FSC) in Côte d’Ivoire. This FSC, called “Boutique Callivoire,” is part of a partnership between MOCA and Callivoire, a subsidiary of the UPL Group, to promote local trade and access to first-class input services and agricultural advice.

The launch ceremony took place February 1, 2021, at the Royaume Hotel, Abengourou. Adhering to the guidance of local health officials due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was attended by approximately 50 participants, including high-level attendees such as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Koneban Kouassi Adjoumani, the Mayor of Abengourou, Mr. Amoikon Kouakou Banga and the prefect of the region of Indénié-Djuablin and the department of Abengourou, Mr. Assamoi Florentin. The U.S. Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, H.E.M. Richard K. Bell, and the USDA Regional Representative, Mr. Dan Archibald, delivered virtual speeches.

Following the call for proposals MOCA launched in early 2019, Boutique Callivoire was one of four organizations selected to receive a grant to establish FSCs in Côte d’Ivoire. With an investment budget of 52,428,069 FCFA ($97,229) – including MOCA’s grant, Callivoire’s support and Boutique Callivoire’s own contribution – the FSC will offer a wide range of approved and quality phytosanitary products. Through this grant, Boutique Callivoire will also provide competitive services such as local advice, training in agricultural best practices and safe use of phytosanitary products and household disinfection.

Following the launch of this FSC, MOCA will continue to work with the three other grant recipients over a period of five months to finalize the establishment of their FSC.

“The concept of Farm Service Center introduced in Ivory Coast by CNFA through MOCA offers an opportunity to empower farmers to transition from a subsistence farming system to a commercially-oriented one,” explained Marc Steen, MOCA Chief of Party (COP). “The partnership between CNFA, Callivoire and visionary Ivorian entrepreneurs will bridge the gap between farmers and quality agricultural inputs and services leading to a sustainable market-driven economy.”

Callivoire will advertise new inputs and services and define appropriate marketing conditions for inputs and loans for start-up inventory.

“Our contribution will be to make the professionalization of agro-dealers an essential lever in the modernization of our agriculture,” said Mr. Diomandé Messotigui, General Manager, Callivoire.

By ensuring infrastructure compliance with environmental standards and developing new skills, MOCA and Callivoire’s FSC will attract more clients. In addition, the provision of innovative services as well as the proposal of a wider range of input products to Ivorian producers and households, will be an asset to increase the FSC’s competitiveness.

“Farm Service Centers such as these are made possible by funding from the USDA Food for Progress program, which helps countries around the world strengthen and modernize their agricultural sectors,” said Mr. Dan Archibald, Agricultural Attaché at the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), “Through the CNFA-MOCA project, the United States intends to empower Ivorian farmers to become more marketing-oriented by increasing their profitability and income.”

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity and improve access to inputs and financing in 47 countries around the world.

About Callivoire: Established in Côte d’Ivoire since 1986, Callivoire is an agricultural solutions company focused on the development of Ivorian agriculture and the well-being of the population. Subsidiary of the UPL group, fifth world leader in the plant protection industry, Callivoire operates in the fields of crop protection, Bio Solutions, fertilizers, seed supply, public hygiene solutions and agricultural equipment. As a technical partner, Callivoire brings its expertise and know-how to help farmers, NGOs and businesses realize the full potential of their agricultural projects.

PRO-Cashew lays out implementation objectives to improve the cashew sector along the value chain in five West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria)

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire —The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) West Africa Cashew Project (PRO-Cashew) implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization based in Washington D.C., USA officially kickstarted  with a launch ceremony on Thursday, November 19^th at the American Andrew Young Center in Abidjan. In collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire and with the support of Le Conseil du Coton et de l’Anacarde, the ceremony was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Richard K. Bell, and the Ivorian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Honorable  Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event was attended in person by key project personnel in line with local health guidance along with an additional 100 online participants.

“The official launch ceremony marks the beginning of the formal and effective implementation of the various activities of PRO-Cashew. We have started our operations in three of the five project countries, and we plan to move forward efficiently to extend activities in the remaining two countries. Our goal is to leverage a comprehensive set of interventions to improve the cashew sector throughout the value chain,” said Jean François Guay, Chief of Party (COP), PRO-Cashew.

The interactive launch event was broadcast virtually allowing participants to interact, ask questions and get insights into the project, the modalities of its implementation among actors, stakeholders, the press and the public.

COP Jean François Guay started the event with welcome remarks followed by remarks from Ambassador Bell and Minister Adjoumani.  This was followed by an online presentation by Dan Archibald, Agricultural Attaché of USDA in Ghana, laying the framework of the Food for Progress Program and their work in West Africa.

The event continued with a detailed presentation of PRO-Cashew elaborating on the project’s components, range of activities and responsibilities in each country, partners, and coordination of activities through the conclusion of the project. This session included a robust Q&A session. Towards the end of the event, three success stories of online interventions between a local cashew cooperative and exporter EcoCajou, a U.S. cashew kernel buyer Terra Nova, and another U.S. buyer Caro Nut who are supporting PRO-Cashew with their sustainability plan,  were showcased.

For more information on PRO-Cashew, please email abouikalo@cnfa-procashew.org or visit https://www.cnfa.org/program/west-africa-cashew-project-pro-cashew/.

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 47 countries around the world.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization, announced that it has been awarded and will implement a new $75 million program designed to improve food security in Zimbabwe through increased food access and sustainable watershed management.

The five-year Amalima Loko project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, will work with local and international partners and Government of Zimbabwe stakeholders to improve the livelihoods of more than 67,000 families, comprising 188,000 people across five districts of Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North Province. The project’s name derives from the Ndebele word Amalima, which signifies a group of people coming together to achieve a common goal, and the Tonga word Loko, which means “genuine” or “authentic.”

Amalima Loko will build on the success of the Amalima project, a seven-year, USAID-funded program implemented by CNFA that ended earlier this year. The previous program sustainably improved food security and nutrition for more than 118,000 vulnerable Zimbabwean households in Matabeleland North and South Provinces using a watershed management approach. This learning will serve as the foundation for the new project which will focus on a unique ‘community visioning’ approach to build and strengthen household resilience. The project will also work on improving watershed infrastructure and practices to provide a foundation for improved agriculture-based livelihoods.

“Amalima Loko continues CNFA’s legacy of developing and implementing creative solutions to improve the incomes, livelihoods and nutrition of vulnerable Zimbabwean households,” said CNFA President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Roy. “CNFA looks forward to working with our network of dedicated partners to implement community-led strategies while enhancing community resilience and improving food security in Zimbabwe.”

Under Amalima Loko, CNFA will:

• Enhance inclusive local ownership over food security and resilience development through “community visioning” that strengthens the ability of communities to identify their own priorities and define solutions to support social cohesion and resilience. As the foundation of the Amalima Loko approach, community visioning will engage stakeholders in an inclusive planning process and mobilize community action groups around development priorities, including gender and youth dynamics, social safety nets and disaster risk reduction.
• Improve health and availability of soil, water and plant resources within the watershed by working at the micro-catchment level and using an integrated water resource management approach to improve community ownership, use and governance of watershed resources. Amalima Loko also will implement “cash for assets” programming to provide a cash infusion to vulnerable households, while also building the community asset base through watershed infrastructure and conservation works such as dams, soil conservation and erosion control measures, and rehabilitation of degraded areas.
• Improve human health and livelihoods by strengthening individual and household capacities to weather shocks and stresses, and improving their ability to thrive with good health, a sufficient and stable asset base, and adequate and reliable income. The program will also enhance nutrition and health for women of reproductive age and children under five through the promotion of improved nutrition and health behaviors; a blanket food distribution program using the “first 1,000 days” approach which stresses good nutrition during a child’s first 1,000 days of cognitive and physical development; and the promotion of diverse livelihood strategies based on village savings and lending group participation, business skill building, and asset accumulation to help households manage the risk and impact of shocks and stresses.

To learn more about Amalima Loko project, please visit https://www.cnfa.org/program/amalima-loko/.

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 47 countries around the world.

CHAMPAIGN, I.L. — The Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL), the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS), and the USAID-funded Southern Africa Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) have partnered to provide support to agro-processors in Southern Africa. The F2F program provides technical support to farmers and agribusinesses in developing countries to promote sustainable advancement in food security and agro-processing. By leveraging the expertise of volunteers from US-based agricultural organizations, F2F is able to respond to the local needs of host-country farmers, agribusinesses, and other agricultural organizations and improve agricultural sector productivity and profitability.

“We are really excited about the partnership with SIL and CNFA in support of the F2F program,” said Patrick Donnelly, CEO of AOCS. “Together, our organizations bring all of the pieces necessary to advance the science and technology in the oilseed processing sector in developing countries.”

The CNFA-implemented F2F program, currently active in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Moldova, posts mid-to senior-level U.S. volunteers to farmer groups, agribusinesses and other agriculture sector institutions for two- to four-week, in-person assignments. It is the goal of SIL and CNFA to present AOCS members with opportunities to volunteer their technical support and expertise to agro-processing leaders and professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In addition to exhibiting at the recent AOCS virtual annual meeting, the three organizations plan to host a webinar to educate AOCS members about the F2F program and volunteer experience. Given the current travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19 risks, AOCS members may volunteer their expertise and mentorship virtually. Educating AOCS members on the specific needs of SSA agro-processors and thoughtfully matching them where their areas of interest and expertise will be best utilized will be critical to the success of this collaboration.

Many agro-processors in SSA lack ready access to the research, development, implementation science expertise, state-of-the-art equipment, and skilled labor available in the U.S. and Europe. As demand for soy products continues to increase across the African continent, SIL and CNFA recognize the need to connect SSA soy processors with US-based industry experts to generate sustainable, broad-based economic growth across the agricultural value chain.

The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.

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About Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)

CNFA is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 46 countries around the world.

About Soybean Innovation Lab

The Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) works to improve food security and nutrition around the world. SIL is a team of technical soybean experts that provide evidence-based innovations, tools, and technologies across the value chain to enable sustainable livelihoods through profitable soybean production and utilization across Sub-Saharan Africa.

About the American Oil Chemist’s Society (AOCS)

Founded in 1909, AOCS is an international scientific society dedicated to advancing the science and technology of oils, fats, proteins, surfactants and related materials, enriching the lives of people everywhere. The members of AOCS include the leading experts in oilseed processing around the world.

CONTACT: Amy Karagiannakis | akaragia@illinois.edu | 217-300-8975

Series of sessions will be hosted in Ghana (July 13, 2020), Nigeria (July 15) and Côte d’Ivoire (July 17, 2020)

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire — The U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded West Africa Cashew Project (PRO-Cashew), implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization headquartered in Washington D.C. will host several information sessions to launch the first series of grants aimed at developing the cashew value chain in three West African countries. The informational sessions will be hosted in collaboration with the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) and are virtual in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These sessions will focus primarily on grants for agricultural extension—the first of four lines of intervention covered by PRO-Cashew—and will be held on July 13, 15 and 17 for Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, respectively. The sessions will target a range of stakeholders, including agricultural cooperatives and cashew producer organizations, input suppliers and nurserymen, cashew nut processors and exporters, nongovernmental organizations, state institutions, research and extension institutes, and others.

“PRO-Cashew is designed to leverage a full complement of interventions to improve the cashew sector all along the value chain,” said PRO-Cashew Managing Director and Chief of Party Jean Francois Guay. “As we launch the project’s agricultural extension grant component, we encourage all stakeholders in these three countries interested in these grants, to contact our project team.”

The sessions—which will include introductory presentations, experience-sharing, and question-and-answer periods, will provide participants with information on general membership and application submission conditions, the process for accessing grants, and the impact and results expected at the end of this program.

The sessions will also outline the overall goals of PRO-Cashew and its main lines of interventions, and introduce attendees to grants available through the program for:

• Agricultural extension: Subsidies on agricultural extension will strengthen the support and advisory services provided to producers by farmers’ organizations, and by agri-food companies involved in the product supply chain.
• Renovation and rehabilitation (R&R) of cashew orchards: Grants for cashew orchards R&R will demonstrate to farmers how this practice can have immediate positive effects on productivity and will gradually help improve orchard yield. They will also help introduce and create demand for high-performance plant material through the establishment of national centers supported by researchers, nurseries and companies for the distribution of improved plants in the cashew-producing regions of the selected countries.
• Resilience and innovation for adaptation to climate change: Grants for resilience and adaptation to climate change will support the testing and adoption of innovative practices that strengthen climate resilience, as well as provide documentation on return on investment to support the promotion and large-scale adoption of innovative practices for climate resilience.
• Financing of equipment and services for producers in cashew producing regions: Subsidies for cashew plantation equipment and management services will lead to the creation of a service provider network in rural areas for orchard rehabilitation and renovation. The improvement of post-harvest services will also be supported by the construction of drying areas, storage infrastructure and the installation of appropriate systems to improve the traceability of products from cashew production areas.

These grants will be awarded and implemented in accordance with USDA and U.S. government regulations governing grants, as well as PRO-Cashew’s internal grant management policies. The project plans to extend the geographic coverage of the project in 2021 to offer grants for climate change, orchard R&R, and equipment and services in Benin and Burkina Faso.

Cashew value chain stakeholders interested in accessing these grant packages can contact the USDA PRO-Cashew project team at grant@cnfa-procashew.org

More information on PRO-Cashew can be found here.

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 46 countries around the world.

Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture to implement five-year, USAID-funded activity.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a new activity aimed at increasing the resilience of agricultural, livestock, and food market systems in Niger.

The five-year USAID Yalwa activity will strengthen the capacities of farmers, producer organizations, agribusinesses and rural households in the Maradi, Tillabéri and Zinder regions of Niger to meet the growing demand for affordable, safe and nutritious food. Yalwa means “fulfillment” or “blossoming” in the Hausa language.

USAID Yalwa supports USAID’s regional Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) II program, which works with the Government of Niger to help its citizens build resilience to natural, economic, and other shocks, and permanently escape poverty. USAID supports countries and communities to overcome these multifaceted challenges without compromising future well-being. RISE is an integral part of USAID’s long-term focus on building the resilience of the Sahel’s most vulnerable people. Over the course of five years, the $29 million USAID Yalwa will work to increase sales and incomes of 105,000 farmers and 160 small and medium-sized enterprises by at least $90 million.

USAID Yalwa, which includes a ground-breaking component on food market systems, follows five years of progress generated by the recently completed USAID-funded Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Accelerated Growth (REGIS-AG) program, also implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization headquartered in Washington DC. CNFA will also implement USAID Yalwa.

“CNFA is dedicated to developing efficient and sustainable agricultural and food market systems that support and improve livelihoods in communities across the Sahel,” said CNFA President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Roy. “USAID Yalwa now provides the means to preserve and build on the important gains produced under the USAID REGIS-AG program. CNFA looks forward to leveraging those successes to continue to bolster the health and wellbeing of Niger’s vulnerable population.”

USAID Yalwa will:

• Enhance performance of market systems in the cowpea, small ruminants and poultry value chains by facilitating commercial and financial relationships among stakeholders, and improving the functionality and profitability of livestock markets.
• Increase the use of high-quality inputs and services by strengthening access to inputs and services, improving food production and storage, and promoting technologies that support improved marketing, livestock production and access to climate information.
• Increase local consumption of nutritious, safe and affordable foods by promoting consumer demand for these products and helping market actors to supply them to targeted populations.
• Promote inclusive markets for women and youth by identifying barriers to market access and participation and working with communities to encourage youth and women’s entrepreneurship and leadership. USAID Yalwa will provide grants that prioritize women and youth who wish to invest in new technologies or services. USAID Yalwa will enhance literacy, numeracy and business management skills of women and youth, improving their community stature and economic success. At least 75 percent of participants will be women and 25 percent youth ages 15–29.

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 46 countries around the world.

USAID/Georgia provided Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture with pheromone dual lures to combat the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). This assistance from the American people was handed over to Zurab Chekurashvili, head of the National Food Agency (NFA) by George Managadze, chief-of-party of USAID’s Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Program (G-HIP). The lures will help Georgian farmers combat BMSB and deliver a larger, higher quality hazelnut harvest in 2020.

The lures were manufactured by the U.S.-based company Trece Inc., one of the world’s leading firms in insect monitoring and control. The lures will be used for BMSB monitoring in all regions of Georgia, with “attract and kill” stations established in 500 villages in Samegrelo, Guria, Imereti, and Adjara, covering more than 60,000 ha of hazelnut orchards.

The NFA will begin anti-BMSB activities in April 2020, using the lures for monitoring proposes and setting up “attract and kill” stations from May onward. The assistance is provided as part of U.S. Government support for Georgia’s economic growth and rural development. USAID assistance supports long-term growth in Georgia’s agriculture sector through partnerships with the Government of Georgia and local farmers, helping build capacity and facilitating private sector investment.

About USAID’s Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Project (G-HIP): USAID G-HIP is implemented as a Global Development Alliance between USAID and AgriGeorgia/Ferrero that leverages the technical and financial resources of each partner to broaden, deepen and advance the public and private sectors development of the hazelnut sector. AgriGeorgia/Ferrero and G-HIP work closely with and through two associations, Georgian Hazelnut Growers Association (GHGA) and Hazelnut Exporters and Processors Association (HEPA), to reach producers and processors and to strengthen both horizontal and vertical relationships that improve hazelnut sector productivity and increase market linkages. For more information, please visit: https://www.cnfa.org/program/georgia-hazelnut-improvement-project/.

About USAID in Georgia: As the leading development agency of the U.S. government, USAID supports Georgia to build the capacity to finance, plan, and implement its own solutions to development challenges. USAID has worked in Georgia since 1992, supporting the country’s transformation into a developing democracy that is increasingly integrated into Western political, security, and economic institutions. More than 30 USAID programs stimulate inclusive economic growth, develop democratic governance, enhance energy security, and foster social inclusion. For more information, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/georgia.

The five-year, USAID-funded Activity will be implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA).

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Yidgiri Activity aimed at increasing resilience of agricultural and livestock market systems in Burkina Faso. The five-year Activity will cultivate relationships among farmers, producer organizations, and agribusinesses in order to provide markets with greater capacity to adapt to challenges such as droughts, floods, economic and security crises—and help ensure populations have uninterrupted access to enough food.

Yidgiri, which means “grow” in the Mòoré language, reflects the Activity’s goal to increase household incomes and improve nutrition.

The Yidgiri Activity begins after the completion of the USAID-funded Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Accelerated Growth (REGIS-AG) activity, also implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization headquartered in Washington D.C.

“CNFA has worked in Burkina Faso since 2015 to support the development of sustainable and dynamic market systems that positively impact communities across the Sahel,” said CNFA President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Roy. “We now look forward to building on and continuing the success of REGIS-AG through the Yidgiri Activity.”

The Activity will:

• Enhance the performance of market systems in the cowpea, small ruminants and poultry value chains by facilitating commercial relationships between producers and buyers, improving the functionality and profitability of livestock markets, and building the organizational capacity of market actors to grow sustainably;
• Increase the use of quality inputs and services by working with private and public sector actors to reduce costs, improve the quality, and educate farmers on the most efficient and effective use for their farming operations. Key inputs and services to be targeted include livestock feed, livestock breeds, cowpea seed, and storage methods, veterinary services, financial services, and climate and market information; and
• Increase local consumption of nutritious, safe and affordable foods by promoting consumer demand for these products through campaigns and other activities, and supporting market actors to steadily supply safe and nutritious food that is accessible to rural and vulnerable populations, especially women and youth.

Over the course of five years, the $19.5 million USAID Yidgiri Activity  aims to improve incomes for 85,000 farmers, increase farmer and producer organization sales by $75 million, and enhance the organizational and risk-management capacity of at least 650 producer organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises in Burkina Faso.

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 46 countries around the world.

The five-year USDA-funded Project is implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA).

WASHINGTON D.C. – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new initiative to bolster the competitiveness of West African cashew producers by improving efficiency and quality across the sector and helping to develop more coherent regional trade and investment policies.

The five-year West Africa Cashew Project (PRO-Cashew), implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA), an international agricultural development organization headquartered in Washington D.C., will focus on cashew producers in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. In addition to helping growers increase production capacity and nut quality, the project will work to develop incentives to renovate and rehabilitate cashew farms, and create a more competitive West African raw cashew nut for the international market.

“Cashew production has evolved into an important part of the West African economy—and continues to grow in the region,” said CNFA President and Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Roy. “PRO-Cashew is designed to advance a multi-pronged approach that will address and remedy the many production and policy challenges that come with that success.”

Raw cashew production has become an important commercial activity for West African smallholder farmers—as a result of increased demand, expansion of orchards and increased government prioritization. Introduced to West Africa in the 1960s to fight erosion and desertification, cashew production in the region has grown 140 percent over the past decade— generating $1.5 billion in export sales for more than 1.1 million farmers.

At the same time, cashew producers face a range of serious challenges—including reduced yields due to aging tree stocks, limited technical and financial capacity to rehabilitate and renovate aging orchards, and an undeveloped nursery sector unable to provide the necessary seedlings to offset productivity declines. Moreover, uncoordinated trade policies tend to encourage countries to compete against one another and weaken regional trade policy cooperation.

Through PRO-Cashew, CNFA will:

• Build capacity by working with farmer organizations and agro-food suppliers in the areas of service delivery and business and orchard management. CNFA will assess training needs to strengthen the capacity of extension teams in good agricultural practices, renovation and rehabilitation, and climate resilience, by collaborating with industry organizations and agricultural ministries;
• Leverage matching contributions of individual grant disbursements from private, public or farmer sources to catalyze private investment, increase partners’ and farmers’ profitability, and build the capacity of cashew farmers to renovate and rehabilitate their farms;
• Develop agrodealers and input suppliers to improve the efficiency and sustainability of seedling production systems through public-private partnerships; establish cost-effective, high-performance tree seedlings at central nurseries, and distribute them through rural-based seedling retail businesses. CNFA will also facilitate agreements to ensure long-term public-private partnerships;
• Develop an integrated data system to identify gaps and build a multi-country cashew data management system (Cashew-IN) to meet policymaker, farmer and private-sector needs. Among its uses, the system also will monitor the cashew supply chain, support traceability, and inform evidence-based policies to increase West African cashew profitability and marketability;
• Disperse improved market information by leveraging stakeholder relationships to strengthen existing data, fill in gaps in data coverage and quality, and promote data use; and
• Improve policy and regulatory framework by engaging national and regional policy makers, private-sector stakeholders, and development agency partners to facilitate and improve regional trade policy cooperation and address regional policy issues on cashew.

“The farmers of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria have transformed their countries into the top five cashew-producing countries in the world,” Roy said. “PRO-Cashew will ensure that this crop continues to serve as an efficient and financially viable engine of economic growth across West Africa.”

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About CNFA: Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. We work with businesses, foundations, governments, and communities to build customized local and global partnerships that meet the world’s growing demand for food. Since our inception in 1985, we have designed and implemented enterprise-based, agricultural development initiatives to facilitate market access, enhance agribusiness competitiveness, increase productivity, and improve access to inputs and financing in 46 countries around the world.