<p></p><p>The creation of the Federation of Gambia Cashew Farmers Associations, apex body for cashew farmers, has been adopted and ratified at the end of the two-day Congress conveyed by the Cashew Growers Association in Jenoi (Lower River Region) at the beginning of August 2014.</p> <p>From 2011 until August 2014, when the Constitution of the new apex body was adopted, two main cashew associations coexisted, namely the Federation of Gambian Cashew Farmers Association and the National Cashew Farmers Association. Both associations claimed to be the national apex body for cashew farmers, which led to a division within farmers in the sector. </p><p>An assessment of the two associations has been carried out and their amalgamation into one single national apex body has been successfully achieved with the support of the World Bank Gambia Growth and Competitiveness Project </p><p>The federation is a non-profit, non-political, membership-based federation of Gambian cashew farmers and their associations having as main objectives: </p><p> Ø To influence market, policies, and regulations that affect the sector in the next 15 years; </p><p> Ø To advocate for a better representation of cashew farmers, conveying their needs, concerns and aspirations in national, regional and international policy dialogues, as well as during the planning, implementation and evaluation of programs and projects; </p><p> Ø To negotiate the increase of institutional support for effective and better planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation of programs and activities of affiliate members; </p><p> Ø To enhance the management and leadership capacity of affiliates, in order to meet their own needs and aspirations; negotiate the fruits of their labor; auto finance initiatives and master technologies relevant to their professional operations; promote both horizontal and vertical communication and coordination among them and with similar institutions within the coverage area of the federation. </p><p>FAO engaged to financially support the newly-created Federation of Gambia Cashew Farmers Associations through immediate actions geared towards linking it to markets through organized market fairs.<br></p><p></p>