Install and manage an industrial cashew plantation (6mx6m density, total number of trees: 1,440,000) on sterile land with a severely degraded soil. The fertility enhancement is based on the use of legume plants with soil improving characteristics. The objective is to:
• Produce premium cashew nuts and cashew balm,
• create a carbon sink,
• Create long-term employment, create wealth, improve living standards of local population,
• Demonstrate that infertile lands can be developed in the form of perennial exploitation with sustainable and environmentally friendly management techniques.
A pilot phase exists already, which has enabled the selection of 30 well-performing varieties of cashew and the installation of a 13 Ha "bank” for future plantings. This pilot phase also led to the development of technical procedures (fertility improvement, treatments, maintenance of orchards) proven by numerous tests, and the documentation of good practices, instruction sheets and a monitoring system for the implementation of procedures.
A 6 years period is planned in order to carry out all plantation activities and thereby arrive at a total planted area of 6000 Ha. Apart from the 450 acres already planted, the implementation schedule is: 2010/550 Ha, 2011/1000 Ha, 2012/1000 Ha, 2013/1000 Ha, 2014/1000 Ha, 2015/1000 Ha. Thus, the implementation will take 7 years including 2009, which is a preparation year. No application of liquid fertilizer is planned after the 3rd year after planting. No irrigation is planned. The project remains a conservative profile, allowing us to limit the needs for fuel and other inputs. A regular increase in production is planned.
It is also envisaged to construct facilities for manual shelling. There will be 9 in total. They will be gathered in three different sites and will be built according to the increase of the production system itself depending on the planting dates and on the type of planted trees.
The choice of manual shelling is set by the following arguments: Low need for fossil fuels [recycling of nut shells as a fuel to generate the heat needed in the shelling process], creation of jobs for the local community, occupying of a female workforce, better yield in almonds resulting in a better profit, better planning of time and space according to the specific needs.
A market study was conducted during the pilot project as well a monitoring exercise regarding the market price for the sale of products. This data is regularly updated and has been included in a business plan.