Associação de Desenvolvimento Comunitário de Baixa das Carnaúbas

Produção Rural Alternativa de Caju – PRACAJU

Producing Cashew Pulp to Create Jobs and Stimulate Income Generation in Caucaia, Ceará

The PRACAJU project promotes the social inclusion of at-risk women and youth in the rural community of Caucaia, Ceará.  By supporting the production of cashew juice, honey, and pulp, as well as candy and molasses, the project aims to create jobs and opportunities for income generation in the community.

The days for the women who harvest the cashews start with a wake-up call at 4 AM. From there, the women walk 10 kilometers to the fields where they harvest the fruit. This daily reality will now change for these women, now that they have a plot of land in their own community and 612 cashew seedlings – which were donated to the project. The land must be worked and the seedlings transplanted so that these women can increase their production and productivity.

With the support of BrazilFoundation, PRACAJU will:

• Prepare the plot of land for planting the cashew seedlings;
• Buy fertilizer for cashew trees;
• Increase the production of cashew-based foods.

IMPACT

•Land worked for planting
•More than 600 cashew trees planted
•Increased production of cashew-based foods

“Harvesting cashews represents sustainability for us; some women even no longer rely on public assistance. Our objective is for them to generate income and then give back what they earn.” –Joselina Maria Lima da Silva, Vice-President of PRACAJU