A Master Training Program on Cashew
Written by Ann-Christin Berger, African Cashew Initiative
From 10th to 14th August 2015, the African Cashew initiative (ACi) together with the African Cashew Alliance (ACA), supported by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) with funding from CORAF/WECARD/World bank held the second session of the second Master Training Programme for cashew value chain promotion. This time around, 62 participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Sierra-Leone and Togo met at Tyco Hotel Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region - the main cashew growing region in Ghana. Working along the cashew value chain and in supporting institutions, half of the participants are employed in the public sector as trainers, policy advisors, lecturers and researchers; meanwhile one third works in the private sector as farmers, processors, service providers, traders and exporters, and finally another third represents nongovernmental organizations (NGO) or work as consultants.
The Master Training Programme creates a pool of experts in West Africa with in-depth knowledge on the cashew value chain. It is a unique and comprehensive training program linking theoretical knowledge with live demonstrations through expert presentations and peer learning exercises. The Master Trainers have become the nucleus for country and regional networking.
Rolled out in seven months, the Master Training Program is divided into three successive one-week sessions to be held in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. In so called “inter-sessions,” the participants return to their host organizations to conduct fieldwork, either individually or in groups to deepen their knowledge on a selected topic. After completion of the program, the participants become acknowledged cashew experts. They either train farmers, provide assistance to processors, or advice companies, organizations, and institutions in their home countries. The Master Training Program has become a quality brand for training on cashew in the West African cashew sector.
The first session was held in May in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso and it introduced the trainees to the cashew value chain concept, cashew market dynamics, and training material development for cashew farming. The second session reunites all to learn and exchange on topics such as improved planting material development, pest and disease management as well as the importance of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). As part of the participants' learning journey, MOFA and CRIG experts organized a field trip to the Cashew Research Station in Wenchi and a visit to Ghana’s leading cashew farmers in order to showcase the positive effects of applying GAPs.
Seth Osei-Akoto, Deputy Director Cashew Desk, MOFA states: “We, in Ghana, are amongst the first to develop and distribute improved planting materials in a carefully planned and sustainable manner. In collaboration with CRIG, we have so far supplied at least 400,000 improved cashew grafts to farmers in the Northern, Volta, and Brong Ahafo regions and we have planted 4,000 hectares of new cashew plantations.”
At the heart of the Master Training Program are facilitators and technical experts who teach, evaluate and potentially re-design each training session according to participants’ needs. All sessions include cross-cutting issues such as climate change, policy development, and sector regulations. On the agenda are also self-reflection and perception management trainings to sensitize participants on behaviors, values, and communication skills that affect learning and teaching abilities. The training content is developed with great support and commitment from various ACi partners. They use stimulating presentations, interactive role-playing, and lively discussions to deliver trainings. “I believe that our success is creativity and flexibility in adapting the program to participants’ learning needs”, says Andre M. Tandjiékpon, Manager of the Master Training Program, ACi.
