Africa dominates global cashew nut production with 56% of the market. Surprisingly, only 10% is processed locally. Enter Anatrans – the exclusive supplier of Nuts2 – and the leading processor in Burkina Faso, empowering 4,000 local farmers.
Through Incofin’s Technical Assistance project, co-financed by the Smallholder Safety Net Upscaling Programme (SSNUP), and the agRIF Technical Assistance Facility (agTAF), the lives of cashew nut producers in Burkina Faso have seen remarkable improvements. How?
- Access to Fairtrade certification
- Provision of advance payments
- Focus on education and healthcare for their children
With 416 farmers trained on Fairtrade practices and 2 cooperatives receiving a Fairtrade certification, the Technical Assistance project has been a resounding success. Moreover, 159 farmers received advance payments for education and healthcare. But how can you know that it is truly impactful? We listened to the farmers themselves. You can find the results in the conclusions of the survey “Voice of the Farmer”. It turns out that farmers have embraced more sustainable production practices, and 99% have witnessed increase in their cashew nut income. Thanks to the Fairtrade label, they now benefit from larger sales volumes and higher prices.
Another heartening outcome is the significant prevention of child labour, thanks to enhanced awareness among farmers and increased resources for better living conditions for the children. The farmers themselves have spoken and wholeheartedly believe that the benefits provided by the Fairtrade label are worth every penny invested.
agTAF, the Technical Assistance Facility of agRIF fund
agTAF was launched in 2018 to foster the financial inclusion of smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs through the provision of tailored capacity building support to selected investees of the Fund. agTAF is a EUR 1.8 million facility jointly financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Société de Promotion et de Participation pour la Coopération Economique S.A. (PROPARCO), the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) and the agRIF fund.
About Smallholder Safety Net Upscaling Programme (SSNUP)
The Smallholder Safety Net Upscaling Programme (SSNUP) is a 10-year programme which aims to strengthen the safety nets of 10 million smallholder households in Africa, Latin America and Asia through technical assistance and investment in agricultural value chains, resulting in an improved well-being of 50 million low-income people. Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Luxembourg Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, the SSNUP works as a facility to co-finance the technical assistance projects of impact investors active in the field. ADA ensures the coordination as well as the knowledge management component of the whole programme.
For more info visit: www.ssnup.org.
This article was originally published by: Incofin
