PROCASHEW - Baseline evaluation of the West Africa Value Chain (PRO-Cashew) Project Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria
Main goals
The five-year United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) PRO-Cashew project will work to boost the competitiveness of West African producers by improving efficiency and quality in production and trade, and by working to develop more coherent regional trade and investment policies. In doing so, the project will strengthen producer capacities as well as develop incentives to renovate and rehabilitate cashew farms, improve production and quality, and create a more competitive West African raw cashew nut for the international market.
Specific objectives
SO1. Capacity Building
SO2. In-Kind Grants for Equipment & Inputs
SO3. Develop Agrodealers & Input Suppliers
SO4. Develop an Integrated Data System
SO5. Disperse Improved Market Information
SO6. Improve Policy & Regulatory Framework
Beneficiaries
- RCN farmers
- Cashew growing communities (in addition to RFP requirement). These will include a wider cross section of members of the community and have mixed groups as well as well as women only and youths only groups. The purpose is to gain deeper insight into community dynamics, power relations, needs, barriers, and opportunities associated with cashew growing
- RCN farmer organizations
- Agro-food commodity companies
- Service providers
- Extension agents
- Government officials (also including leaders of national sector associations)
- Researchers and academics (in addition to RFP requirement). This is to learn more about the state, effectiveness and needs of research and innovation capacities in the country
Results
R1. $103.7 million in annual sales of farmers and firms as a result of USDA assistance
R2. $3.7 million accessed in agricultural-related financing as a result of USDA assistance
R3. 728,516 individuals benefiting as a result of USDA assistance
R4. 340 jobs created
Activities
A1. Final Baseline Evaluation Workplan, with a full suite of all methodological information, tools and templates and a time plan
A2. Data collection report (upon completion of data collection). Data will be collected through Farmer surveys (1650), Key informant Interview and Focus Group Discussions
A3. Preliminary Baseline Report, with evaluation results in graphical and tabular form, conclusions and recommendations, and full data
A4. Final Baseline Evaluation Report, and presentation of findings
Related people
Soungari Sekongo
Engineer in Tropical Agronomy from the CIED, option "plant production", he brings his expertise in agricultural markets analysis, advising-supporting actors, vegetable production and supporting professional agricultural organizations (management, capacity building)
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Rashad Kadiri
Holder of a Master’s Degree in Management Studies from the University for Development Studies, UDS in Ghana. Areas of expertise include project management, agriculture value chain development, design and implementation of community and rural development programs, agriculture market analysis and business advocacy. Since, he has worked in rural communities and with Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) particularly in the Northern Sector of Ghana. He has contributed immensely in the establishment and administration of the Cereal Inter-professional Committee of Ghana (CIC-Ghana) as part of the West African Grain Network (WAGN)
Moussa Bingboure
Graduated with a Master 2 in Project Management at Senghor University of Alexandria, and Master 1 in Agricultural and Environmental Economics at Norbert Zongo University, he brings his expertise in the development of agricultural value chains and agro-food, strengthening the technical and organizational capacities of stakeholders in the sectors and also in the analysis of agricultural markets. He also has good experience in the development and coordination of agricultural development and natural resource preservation projects
Ida Drabo
Graduated as Design Engineer in Agricultural Extension at the University Nazi Boni Bobo Dioulasso-Burkina Faso, she brings her expertise in supporting producers in the adoption of innovative technologies. In particular the support and the accompaniment of the actors of the sector in the marketing of shea on the national and international level
Pierre Ricau
Holder of a Master Degree in "Agricultural Development and Economic Policies" from the Institute of Development Studies (IEDES), Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne University and AgroParisTech. He brings his expertise in agricultural market analysis (especially cashew, sesame, shea, cocoa, hevea, corn, rice and onion), development of agro-food sectors, training engineering and consultancy on public agricultural/agro-industrial policies
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François Griffon
Holder of a Master's degree in "Sustainable Farming and Agri-food Systems in the South", specialised in "Markets, Organization, Quality and Services" from Montpellier SupAgro - Institut des Régions Chaudes (IRC), he brings his expertise in sector and value chain analysis, market studies, quality management and farmers' organisations services and support
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Julien Gonnet
Holder of a Professional Master II in Sustainable Development from the University of Geneva and a Master I in Geography from the University of Jean Moulin, he brings his expertise in project and studies building and management on agricultural markets, the use of ICT within the agriculture sector, the implementation of certification (organic, fair...) and engineering training
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Armand Kingbo
He is a forest agronomist with a professional master's degree in development and management of natural resources obtained at the faculty of agronomic sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin and a doctorate in agronomic sciences, specialty development and management of natural resources of the doctoral school of the University of Abomey-Calavi. He is a member of the Forest Sciences Laboratory where he conducts research in forestry in Benin. He also held the position of program manager and coordinator of the Karité Bénin Association and permanent secretary of the Karité Bénin inter-professional organization. He joined the team in 2018 and contributes to the analysis of agricultural markets in Benin
PRO-PLANTEURS - Baseline Study: Improvi…
