Empowering communities
Our approach isn't just about cashews; it's about cultivating thriving communities
Here’s how we’re making it work:
- Community-centric model: We establish self-sustaining cashew farms and processing centers within local communities, providing a source of employment and economic growth.
- Socially responsible: We are committed to social responsibility that goes beyond just words. We uplift smallholder farmers, create jobs, and empower local communities, resulting in a ripple effect of prosperity.
- Sustainable practices: Sustainability is at our core. From agroforestry to waste utilization, we're building an eco-friendly model for the cashew industry.
- Inclusive growth: Local hiring and training practices empower community members, transforming them into skilled laborers, managers, leaders and entrepreneurs.
- Solar-powered: We harness solar energy to minimize our environmental footprint, providing clean power to all our processing factories and the communities.
Muchenguentava Village Farm
Gaza Province, Mozambique
The project in the village of Muchenguentava began in June 2022 with the primary objective of our work to promote sustainable social, economic and environmental development within the community. This would be done by
- Stimulating the development of the community through entrepreneurial initiatives.
- Eradicating poverty by creating cashew nut business opportunities.
- Stimulating and developing the cashew nut production, promotion and processing chain.
- Creating direct and indirect jobs, mainly for young people and women
- Providing and improving the basic social services to families within the community
The project relies mainly on seasonal, local labor to operate its activities. At the beginning of the project, 56 workers were hired to perform various functions in the project.
Field supervisors who carried out farm tasks and monitoring field activities
Project managers who performed inspection functions and reported on all activities taking place within the project and socialized with community members.
Chainsaw operator for felling trees, opening access roads and cleaning the farm to allow for the planting of cashew trees.
Nursery technician to co-ordinates planting activities, phytosanitary control of seedlings and also provides seedlings to field technicians.
Tractor driver for plowing production fields, loading producers, loading and transporting seedlings, allocating and supplying water to tanks.
Auxillaries: seasonal workers who performed various functions within the project, such as: cleaning the plots, construction of the nursery, opening access roads, planting cashew seedlings.
The project currently has 11 workers, including:
2 Field Technicians
Coordinate and implement activities on the farm, factory and nursery, as well as serving as a link between the community, the project and the Provincial government.
3 Guards
Ensure the security of the factory facilities.
1 Tractor driver
Performs activities such as plowing production fields, loading producers, loading and transporting seedlings, allocating and supplying water to tanks.
5 Assistants
They perform various functions within the project, such as: supporting the cleaning of plots, construction and maintenance of the nursery, opening access roads, planting cashew seedlings and cleaning the factory area.
SEEDLING NURSERY
Our Sunshine nursery is dedicated to the production of cashew seedlings with a capacity to produce around 120,000 cashew seedlings per year. This nursery supplies the Muchenguentava farm area but also offers seedlings to neighbouring communities, promoting the cultivation of this cash crop.
COMMUNITY FARM
The Sunshine Approach Foundation has an area of 600 hectares in the village of Muchenguentava which is owned by the community and is intended for the promotion of cashew nuts and for intercropping with other short-cycle crops. Families are trained in planting, including marking the spacing, digging holes, planting, opening basins, staking, mulching, pruning, etc. They are given the plants and, under the guidance of our technicians, the planting is carried out. To date, 152 hectares has been planted with 91 families benefiting from the plots.
PROCESSING FACTORY
The projects cashew nut processing plant has a capacity to process 500 tons of cashews per year. To add greater value to their nuts and further benefit the communities, families are grouped into associations of 12 to 14 members where they will be trained to use cashew nut shelling equipment. The plant has a warehouse where producers will store the nuts after harvesting and later process them and sell them to the plant at an additional price.
Uplifting and strengthening communities
The Villages Project has been welcomed by the community of Muchenguentava, with the surrounding communities of Mangonde, São Tome, Binguanhane and Chiguinde also benefiting. With noticeable improvements in their living conditions and the opportunities that the project is creating over time, they have embraced their participation in the the project and encouraged it to continue helping the development and upliftment of their communities.
TREES
WATER
INCOME
SCHOOLS
identification
We envision a world where the Sunshine Approach Foundation transforms communities, uplifts lives and promotes lasting prosperity through dedicated community projects.
Around 40,000 cashew plants have been distributed to communities of Muchenguentava, São Tome, Chiguinde and Binguanhane so that families can plant in their backyards and fields.
The Villages Project has developed an awareness campaign promoting the spraying of cashew trees within the community.
Average production has tripled to around 10-15kg per tree compared to 3-5kg without spraying. The higher production and income received from the sale of the nuts has enabled families to improve their homes, buy food and pay for schooling.
Community Water Sources
The Villages Project has created better access to drinking water. Families could travel for more than 7 km to acquire drinking water. The 3 water supply sources are solar powered and benefit the communities of Muchenguentava, São Tome, Chiguinde and Binguanhane. Water from these boreholes allow farmers to irrigate their cashew trees and also to grow vegetables during the dry season.
Creating long-term sources of income
In order to guarantee long-term sources of income for future generations, the Villages Project is distributing an area of 2 hectares to approximately 300 families.
The families, assisted by technicians, are planting cashew trees and other short-cycle crops such as corn, peanuts and vegetables. The polyclonal variety of cashew trees that are planted have the advantage of early maturation, occurring within a 3-year interval.
This variety is resistant to diseases and adapts easily to regions with low rainfall. When the maturation season arrives, the families will be able to sell the nuts at the Sunshine factory, giving them a guaranteed market.
Rehabilitation of Classrooms
Before the project, children studied under the shade of trees and sitting on the ground. The Villages Project provided various materials for the construction of two classrooms, equipping them with desks, chalkboards and school materials for students, including notebooks, folders, pens and pencil cases.
This brought smiles back to the faces of children and their guardians who saw their children’s future compromised by the lack of adequate conditions for education.
Issuance of family identification documents.
When the project arrived in the community, around 98% of its seasonal workers and their dependents did not have birth certificates or civil identification cards.
The project mobilized the families and started the process to get everyone registered with the notary services and consequently issued with identification cards. This is an ongoing process.
How your donations can assist the Villages Project:
Help Us Sow Seeds of Hope
Support Our Village Tractor
Equip a Family to Thrive
Feed a Farmer
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