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CARE Tanzania Empowers Women in Cashew Product Making through Innovating the Cashew Value Chain Project

CARE staff, Mr. Donald Liya (right), Senior Project Manager of the Innovating Cashew Value Chain project, Reginald Mpolo (back), the project's Technical Specialist, and Allen Kaijanangoma (back), the Project Officer for VSLA & Community Mobilization, together with project participants.

CARE staff, Mr. Donald Liya (right), Senior Project Manager of the Innovating Cashew Value Chain project, Reginald Mpolo (back), the project's Technical Specialist, and Allen Kaijanangoma (back), the Project Officer for VSLA & Community Mobilization, together with project participants.

CARE Tanzania, through the Innovating the Cashew Value Chain project, supported by Danida Green Business Partnerships, collaborated with the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) and the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI) Naliendele to conduct a Training of Trainers (ToT) on cashew product making. This training targeted women representatives from Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) members and Duga AMCOS.

The ToT involved 10 selected participants, 8 from VSLA groups and 2 from Duga AMCOS, and took place over three days, from May 23rd to 25th. The training focused on practical skills in producing cashew-based products such as cashew apple jam, cashew milk, and cashew cookies.

The aim of the training was to equip women and youth in VSLA groups with business-focused skills to support income generation through cashew product making. By showcasing untapped opportunities in the cashew value chain, the initiative encourages participants to explore new ways to enhance their economic wellbeing.

Project participants filling the bottles with cashew milk.

The trained representatives will now share their knowledge with other smallholder cashew farmers in their VSLAs, helping them improve their income through cashew product making at both individual and group levels. The initial plan is to market these products locally, with the goal of expanding to regional and international markets in the future.