The group facilitators explained the goal of the organization; to increase the income of the cashew farmer by increase of production. Farmers would be trained in how to raise their yield using organic farming methods. ‘I was interested to join since we had never heard something like this. The government just buys the cashew nuts from the farmers but never gave any training on how to actually produce cashew.’ He got the feeling that he was taken seriously by the organization. The government never informed farmers on the cashew market. “Now we understand the whole chain, from us farmers to our small factories where they are shelled, to the bigger factories where they are peeled and then sold to our European customer Intersnack.”
What also attracted Mr Taibu in MHQFP is the organic farming methods. In organic farming poison is not used for growing the crops. “I never used chemicals in my fields. You want to protect your health and the environment, you want to keep it clean.”
What he mentioned as the biggest advantage is the training he got at the Farmer Field school where the farmer members learn how to improve their agricultural practices to increase their yields. MHQFP teaches only organic practices and makes use of local knowledge as much as possible. “We didn’t know about production systems of cashew before, we did just something. Now we know that growing cashew has its own methods. You start with how you should prepare your field, like the fields should be swept and clean. And if you want to plant you have to use good seeds. For these seeds you don’t need to go to a shop and buy expensive seeds from outside. No: you search for them in your own field. You look for cashew trees that produce well and that are resistant to diseases and changes in the weather, and give big nuts.”
Mr Taibu is a good example of putting into practice what he learned. “What really interested me was the topworking of trees. I was the first one to put this exercise it into practice in my own fields. I had many trees that did not produce even one kilo of cashew nuts. But I heard there is a new technique and during the training I paid good attention, learning how to cut branches off good trees and unite them to the old one which didn’t produce. After two weeks the branch joins the tree after one month it starts to get leaves already. And then you have to monitor and remove the unwanted shoots. If you topwork in December, in May it already flowers. But we are advised to remove the flowers the first year so it can get strength, then the following year you can get fruits with the nut already. I topworked 22 trees and increased my yield. Although I have fewer trees my harvest went up from 500kg, now 700kg. Less is indeed more!”
