The Food for Progress project in Benin titled “BeninCaju” is implemented by TechnoServe and began in late 2015 with the goal of strengthening Benin’s cashew sector and assisting cashew farmers to become more productive and profitable. The project is building a sustainable and well-organized cashew sector with better yields and incomes for producers and a competitive local processing industry. The project’s main interventions include technical training in production, strengthening of cooperators, improved cashew processing, access to financing, and sectoral policy. West Africa is the largest producer of cashew; however, the processing is mostly done by India and Vietnam. Sales of cashew in Benin were mostly of raw kernel, but now with improved processing, processing facilities in Benin are selling the final product. A nursery employee in Benin. Photo credit: TechnoServe staff A nursery employee in Benin. Photo credit: TechnoServe staff From FY 2015 to FY 2023, the project trained and coached 101,630 producers to increase yields and incomes, and established relationships between 126 farmer organizations (cooperatives) and cashew nut buyers. As part of the extension of Good Agricultural Practices, 23 demonstration plots were set up for the benefit of producers and young cashew researchers. Through BeninCaju’s intermediation and facilitation, 90,765 low-interest loans were disburseded to 37,911 people (60% of whom were women) for a total amount of $17.8 million. From FY 2016 to FY 2023, the project facilitated the sale of 280,802 MT of raw cashew nuts to processors (and foreign buyers) for a total of $166.3 million. The project also contributed to creating and maintaining 8,289 jobs (66% are held by women) in 33 cashew nut and cashew apple processing units. The project trained these units’ staff in various subjects related to processing techniques, quality norms and standards, financial and administrative management of enterprises, and marketing. The project also carried out 140 capacity-building activities which benefited 22 public agencies. In FY 2023, the project trained 6,835 producers and supported 10,585 farmers in organic certification. The project facilitated the creation of 95 new producer cooperatives and enabled233 cashew nursery professionals to produce 891,906 improved cashew seedlings, which they sold for a total of $882,468. To increase access to finance, 2,535 people received 1,852 credits through the project’s facilitation for a total value of $1.7 million. In FY 2023, the project supported installation of four new nut processing plants and trained the processing plants’ technical and administrative staff. A total of 101 people in these new factories were trained in processing techniques. Cashew worker at a processing plant in Bohicon, Benin. Photo credit: TechnoServe staff. Cashew worker at a processing plant in Bohicon, Benin. Photo credit: TechnoServe staff. CajuLab, the project’s new initiative, uses drone-taken images and machine learning to map thousands of cashew nut plantations, which allows cashew actors to manage existing plantations better and to identify the best locations for new planting. CajuLab is also digitalizing information and knowledge sharing among cashew actors. The CajuLab dashboard can be found at https://cajuboard.tnslabs.org/en/dashboard/public and interested stakeholders can sign-up to this free dashboard to access the information. The project had difficulty reaching gender parity due to a socio-cultural context whereby women have little access to land and financial assets. BeninCaju was, however, able to increase the proportion of women beneficiaries from 20% in 2017 to more than 40% in 2023. This performance resulted from the project convincing men beneficiaries to share family assets with their spouses, and from strengthening the capacity of partner organizations to integrate a gender dimension into their activities. This strategy will in the future be expanded to make rapid progress towards gender parity. Food for Progress Active Food for Progress Projects Map of Active Food Assistance Projects Food for Progress Funding Congressional Reports