Cashew nurseries help farmers plant seeds for a better future
January 2017
Throughout January to the end of the rainy season in February and March, Mozambican cashew farmers like Mariamo Agy and her husband Carlos Muekela are busy planting new cashew trees.
Since 2014, MozaCajú has been working with cashew farmers to promote planting of new cashew trees through farmer trainings on improved planting techniques and provision of cashew seedlings and necessary tools for planting.
Mariamo is a MozaCajú nursery owner who has benefited from this nursery assistance. Last year, she produced around 5,000 seedlings, of which 3,804 seedlings successfully germinated and were planted. She sold these seedlings for a total income of MZN 30,460, which is close to $550 USD, a huge sum in rural Mozambique. With this income, she and her husband constructed a new home with a corrugated tin roof, and also installed solar panels to provide electricity during the night.
Today there are 85 MozaCajú-supported cashew nurseries that have distributed over 400,000 seedlings in local communities. MozaCajú continues to provide support and technical assistance so that the nurseries continue to thrive for years to come, thus helping farmers plant the seeds for a better future.
