ACT 2 EOP Evaluation Report for Philippines

However, after losing 30 percent of his grafted plants, he questioned his future as a cashew farmer. To supplement his income, he worked as a laborer for various cashew producers in the region. In 2019, he participated in a two-week training on cashew nursery management and grafting at the Regional Office of Ouémé and Plateau. The training, conducted by Dr. [Name], an Agriculture and Natural Resources Specialist at North Carolina's Agricultural and Technical State University's Cooperative Extension Program, covered specific techniques to increase yields in cashew seedling and the best practices in cashew nursery management. The training was facilitated by the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer program. Through the training, he learned that his current cashew nursery was not planted in an optimal area. He subsequently moved it to a larger location away from his garden crops, as recommended by Dr. [Name]. Eight months later, his nursery produced 8,000 cashew seedlings, with a yield loss of less than 1 percent and an earning potential of $2,780. Impressed by his results, he was introduced to representatives at the Departmental Direction of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery of Ouémé and Plateau (DDAEP-OP). The ministry recognized him as one of the country's top nurserymen and included his name in their cashew nurseryman directory. They plan to follow up with him on an annual basis to track his progress. The ministry anticipates buying thousands of grafted cashew seedlings in 2020 to promote plantations with grafted plants, and he hopes to capitalize on this opportunity. In 2020, he sold approximately 8,000 seedlings and helped other nurserymen sell more than 20,000 seedlings to the Ministry of Agriculture for about $25,000. At 24 years old, he now sees a future as a cashew farmer.