Save the Earth, Feed the Nation.
This inititative is promoted by Mooto Cashew Suppliers to contribute reforesting Zambia and reducing its food shortages by artificial vegetative propagation through soft wood grafting of Cashew trees.
An initiative of Mooto Cashew Suppliers Ltd
Overview of the project
Our enterprise is reforesting the region with cashew trees to reduce green house gases and control climate change. These are hybrid dwarf cashew trees with an early maturity and higher yield produced by artificial vegetative propagation through soft wood grafting. We have a plantation of 500 improved dwarf cashew trees that were imported from Mozambique in 2012 where we are extracting scions to graft with local seedlings to produce improved hybrid cashew trees with an early maturity and higher yield. The trees we produced are sold and leased to small holder farmers in rural areas. Our target is to produce and plant 1 million cashew trees over a period of 5 years through the establishment of rural cashew cooperatives consisting of charcoal burners. The cooperatives are supplied with grafted hybrid cashew seedlings with an early maturity and higher yield which they distributes to their members at a fee as consideration to divert them from charcoal burning to cashew farming. The collected fees for the trees are remitted to us as consideration for the seedlings we have supplied to the cooperative and the funds are used for our operations and to produce more seedlings. Through the establishment of rural cashew cooperatives, we provide the poorest households in rural areas with little resources and knowledge on cashew production with an opportunity to profitably participate in the cashew value chain as we still remain profitable.Reforesting Zambia and reducing its food shortages by artificial vegetative propagation through soft wood grafting of Cashew trees.
Ongoing research
1/1/2016
Acreage of farmland per a single holder, volume of timber exploitation per hectare of land, number of persons working in climate change in the COPAL Community Forest .
The 2,000 mature trees that we supplied in 2015 are generating and income of about $1,346 per annum for each of the 20 farmers in the cooperative. This has provided them with a stead income and has greatly improved their standard of living, the other 13,000 seedlings that we produced are expected to fully mature by end of next year and shall be generating the same amount for the respective farmers.
According to the Urban Forestry Network (2018), a mature tree absorbs about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year therefore the 2000 mature trees that we planted in 2015 are absorbing about 96,000 pounds of carbon dioxide thereby reducing green house effects. We have also established a network of 150 charcoal burners who we supplied the 15,000 seedlings and have stopped charcoal burning to concentrate on cashew farming thereby reducing on rate of deforestation.
Equity contributions from the shareholders.
About the
organisation
organisation
Our business addresses the challenge of deforestation, poverty, food shortages and malnutrition in the Western Province of Zambia, which is the poorest region in the country. The region is characterized by difficult geographical and climatic conditions with limited arable land resources that can sustain crop production apart from drought resistant crops like cashew trees. The region has a population of 902,974 with high poverty levels of 82.2% of which 70% of the poor are women.
Our business is therefore aimed at reforesting the region with cashew trees to reduce GHG emissions. These are hybrid dwarf cashew trees with an early maturity and higher yield produced by artificial vegetative propagation through soft wood grafting.