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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the West African region has highly diverse agro-climatic conditions,
which grant the potential for a remarkable agricultural production of a great diversity of crops.
Since the 1980s, the production volumes of most crops have grown vigorously for both domestic
and export markets. Traditional food crops—such as rice, groundnuts and sorghum—have been
replaced by cash crops, namely cashew. Among the main cashew production areas, West Africa is the
most recent and dynamic in the world, accounting for 45% of the worldwide production of cashew
nuts in 2015. In consequence, cashew cultivation has acquired an important position in West African
smallholder farming, providing positive economic and social effects. In this paper, we provide an
overview of the cashew production system in the West African region, using Guinea-Bissau as a case
study. In particular, we present some viewpoints concerning the impact of cashew production and
discuss how the strong dependence on a single cash crop can compromise the local livelihoods and
food security. Finally, some insights are given towards the sustainable production of cashew in the
face of the recent risks affecting the agricultural sector in West Africa
Description
Case Report
Keywords
sustainable production West Africa food security cashew agroecosystem Guinea-Bissau
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Sustainability 2017, 9, 1666
Publisher
MDPI