Rachidatou Boukari Amah, a field supervisor with the BeninCajù project, shows cashew farmer Pelebe Francois (right) how iPads are used to track the project's progress over time.

The BeninCajù project, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and implemented in partnership with Catholic Relief Services and TechnoServe, seeks to accelerate the growth of the cashew sector in Benin.

Though cashew is the second largest export crop in Benin, farmer productivity and local processing remain far below potential.

Over five years, BeninCajù will increase yields and revenues for 32,000 smallholder cashew farmers, triple domestic processing capacity, create at least 3,400 jobs (70 percent for women), catalyze development of the nascent by-product market, and set the sector on a path for continued growth and success.

Photo by Michael Stulman/Catholic Relief Services