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Abstract
This paper reports findings of an economic evaluation study of alternative smallholder
cashew technologies to increase production. The objective of the study was to provide farm level
insights to help evaluate returns to smallholders’ resources, particularly to the labor time
smallholders allocate to different competing enterprises under alternative crop production
technologies. Key research questions included: (a) under what conditions is it financially
attractive for Mozambican smallholder farmers to expand production and improve quality of cashew
nuts? (b) related to these, what are the investment decisions and available alternative
technological options smallholders need to consider in order to achieve the expected cashew
production increases and quality improvements? (c) What incentives and institutional support
will be required for smallholders to adopt these alternative and new technologies in an
environment where cashews are not the main crop?