@article{Carvalho:206219,
      recid = {206219},
      author = {Carvalho, Bernardo Reynolds Pacheco de and Mendes,  Henrique},
      title = {Cashew Chain Value in Guiné-Bissau: Challenges and  Contributions for Food Security. (A Case Study for  Guiné-Bissau)},
      address = {2015-05},
      number = {1023-2016-81893},
      pages = {15},
      year = {2015},
      abstract = {Guiné-Bissau is a recent example of political  stabilization after a recent period of instability, where  the international community can play an important role in  cooperation and development, but with innovation and new  effective policies. Food security is certainly one of the  big issues to be addressed and cashew production and  respective chain value one of the main opportunities to  improve the quality of life for many families.  Guinea-Bissau can be considered one of the most fragile  countries in Sub-Sahara Africa, but at the same time with  enormous economic potential. Poverty alleviation is very  much dependent from agricultural activities and  agribusiness will be always at the core of the most  possible solutions. Within those possible solutions the  contribution of the cashew sector is crucial, which has  been playing already a key role in the economy and in the  family survival equation. More than 80% of the families  depend from agricultural activities and most of them are  linked to the production of cashew. This crop represents  more than 90% of exports, and at the same time is  responsible for income alleviation resources at local  family base. However Cashew expansion is a very recent  phenomena, with about 20 years of success, beyond all  political “turmoil”. Today the country is the second  biggest in Africa, after Ivory Coast, and the fourth  worldwide ( also after India and Vietnam). Exports were  around 20 thousand tons in 1990 and close to 200 thousand  tons in the last year’s production. But the most important  factors to be considered in a cash crop business is also a  very “unique” structure of production, mostly family based  and where the average dimension of production per family is  dominantly between 1 to 2 hectares. Very much related to  those structural characteristics, which vary by region is  the role of this crop in the food security dimension of the  families, which is calculated to represent in average  4,8/12 months of income needs for food. The research  address the Caju chain value in Guiné-Bissau, added value  possibilities with transformation, better markets, improved  institutional environment and other alternatives aiming to  promote the global value creation but also the dynamics of  the food system able to promote the family welfare and a  sustainable development process.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/206219},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.206219},
}