‘Food for progress’ initiative commences in The Gambia

The American Embassy in Banjul, in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS), the government of The Gambia’s Department of State for Agriculture, and the Department of State for Forestry and the Environment, has announced the commencement of a ‘food for progress’ initiative, designed to improve the income gained from the production and processing of cashew in The Gambia river basin, through a press release from the said embassy.

Under the aegis of a US-based NGO,  International Relief and Development (IRD), the release states, the program is designed to increase the livelihood of rural Gambians involved in the cashew trade. Given the high potential for cashew in the sub-region, the program will work with farmers’ organisations, processors, and traders in the Casamance region of Senegal and Northern Guinea Bissau, as well as the South Bank of The Gambia.

According to the release, International Relief and Development is a charitable, non-profit organisation dedicated to improving lives and building livelihood amongst people in the most economically deprived parts of the world. IRD, the release went on, being a non-political and non-sectarian organisation, provides more than US $150 million annually in humanitarian assistance, and works in more than 20 countries around the world.

The goal of The Gambia River Basin Cashew Value Chain Enhancement Project (CEP) is to enable 59,000 cashew farmers to maximize returns from cashew production and improve their livelihood in the targeted regions of The Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea Bissau. This will be achieved by increasing the competitiveness of the sub-regional cashew value chain.

The key activities for the program will revolve around:
(1) Organisational strengthening of cashew producers and processors: strengthening the organisation and entrepreneurial capacities of cashew farmers and their associations for greater control and management of cashew production, processing, and marketing.

(2) Improved cashew production practices: Increase productivity and quality of raw cashew nuts via the introduction and widespread use of higher yielding cashew varieties and innovative agronomic, environmental management, and post-harvest practices; and,
(3) Value added to cashew: expand capabilities for value addition to cashew apple and nut, and promoting increased domestic consumption as an avenue to diversify market outlets, the press release indicated.

Expected to run for three years, the release further indicates, the CEP will be made possible through the monetisation of US refined soy oil in The Gambia, raising an estimated US$6 million for program funds. The benefits of CEP are anticipated to reach 60,000 direct beneficiaries and 413,000 indirect beneficiaries. "Efforts will start with farmers who currently own and manage their own cashew plantations, either as a privately owned farm or as a communal holding. The poorest cashew farmers will be a priority, as well as the women groups," the release highlighted.

This unique program, according to the press release, will link up with tested and established initiatives and networks in the sub-region, such as The Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG), USAID/Senegal’s programme Croissance Economique, and the USAID-sponsored African Cashew Alliance (ACA), and West Africa trade hub.

"In The Gambia, IRD will work closely with local organisations such as the National Cashew Farmers’ Association and the National Farmers Platform. Likewise, farmers groups will be a focal point in Senegal and Guinea Bissau where the Association de Jeunes Agricultures de la Casamance (Senegal), and cooperativea Lampada do Campo dos Agricultores (Guinea Bissau) will be involved,” the release concluded.