Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain
Cashew is a cash crop primarily grown by smallholder farmers in Tanzania and is a major source of rural employment and income in Coastal areas. Women dominate small-scale cashew processing yet face various constraints to increasing their productivity and profitability. This study assesses the effect...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Artículo preliminar |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Michigan State University Press
2023
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140363 |
| _version_ | 1855513978824818688 |
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| author | Aku, Aika Mpenda, Zena Mpunde, Venance Bryan, Elizabeth Mather, David L. |
| author_browse | Aku, Aika Bryan, Elizabeth Mather, David L. Mpenda, Zena Mpunde, Venance |
| author_facet | Aku, Aika Mpenda, Zena Mpunde, Venance Bryan, Elizabeth Mather, David L. |
| author_sort | Aku, Aika |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Cashew is a cash crop primarily grown by smallholder farmers in Tanzania and is a major source of rural employment and income in Coastal areas. Women dominate small-scale cashew processing yet face various constraints to increasing their productivity and profitability. This study assesses the effectiveness of an intervention that provided equipment and training to women’s cashew processing groups (WCPGs) in Mtwara and Lindi regions, implemented by the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO). The study uses mixed methods including in-depth focus group discussions with WCPGs, male and female cashew farmers, and other stakeholders in the cashew value chain, data on WCPG processing productivity, costs, revenues, and profitability with and without the improved processing equipment. The findings indicate that groups using this equipment can process 3 times as much RCN per day compared with the quantity that they could process before using rudimentary shelling tools. This results in participating WCPGs producing about 85 percent more processed cashew per season on average compared with a control group of WCPGs, and 3 times higher profits per season. However, participating WCPGs still face constraints including credit for accessing raw cashew and reliable access to markets for their processed cashew. The results suggest that this and similar interventions need to take a more holistic approach, recognizing that a technology intervention intended to increase production should be complemented by efforts to alleviate input and output marketing constraints. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace140363 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Michigan State University Press |
| publisherStr | Michigan State University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1403632024-10-25T07:53:03Z Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain Aku, Aika Mpenda, Zena Mpunde, Venance Bryan, Elizabeth Mather, David L. income value chains gender women's empowerment agricultural technology capacity development smallholders productivity cashews anacardium occidentale women Cashew is a cash crop primarily grown by smallholder farmers in Tanzania and is a major source of rural employment and income in Coastal areas. Women dominate small-scale cashew processing yet face various constraints to increasing their productivity and profitability. This study assesses the effectiveness of an intervention that provided equipment and training to women’s cashew processing groups (WCPGs) in Mtwara and Lindi regions, implemented by the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO). The study uses mixed methods including in-depth focus group discussions with WCPGs, male and female cashew farmers, and other stakeholders in the cashew value chain, data on WCPG processing productivity, costs, revenues, and profitability with and without the improved processing equipment. The findings indicate that groups using this equipment can process 3 times as much RCN per day compared with the quantity that they could process before using rudimentary shelling tools. This results in participating WCPGs producing about 85 percent more processed cashew per season on average compared with a control group of WCPGs, and 3 times higher profits per season. However, participating WCPGs still face constraints including credit for accessing raw cashew and reliable access to markets for their processed cashew. The results suggest that this and similar interventions need to take a more holistic approach, recognizing that a technology intervention intended to increase production should be complemented by efforts to alleviate input and output marketing constraints. 2023-09-01 2024-03-14T12:09:24Z 2024-03-14T12:09:24Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140363 en Open Access Michigan State University Press Aku, Aika; Mpenda, Zena; Mpunde, Venance; Bryan, Elizabeth; and Mather, David L. 2023. Opportunities for and Constraints to Women’s Empowerment in Tanzania’s Cashew Value Chain. PRCI Research Paper 22. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University. https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/opportunities-for-and-constraints-to-women-s-empowerment-in-tanzania-s-cashew-value-chain |
| spellingShingle | income value chains gender women's empowerment agricultural technology capacity development smallholders productivity cashews anacardium occidentale women Aku, Aika Mpenda, Zena Mpunde, Venance Bryan, Elizabeth Mather, David L. Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain |
| title | Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain |
| title_full | Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain |
| title_fullStr | Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain |
| title_short | Opportunities for and constraints to women’s empowerment in Tanzania’s cashew value chain |
| title_sort | opportunities for and constraints to women s empowerment in tanzania s cashew value chain |
| topic | income value chains gender women's empowerment agricultural technology capacity development smallholders productivity cashews anacardium occidentale women |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140363 |
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