In Ayigbe, in Ghana's Bono Region, 35-year-old Michael Kyereme paid off a university debt of GHS 3,500 in three months by selling juice made from the fleshy part of the cashew fruit. He now produces about 60 bottles per cycle each day and sells through his wife's shop and on social media platforms such as TikTok and WhatsApp.
The activity is part of MA-CASH (Maximising Gains from Cashew Production for Youth Development), run by Ghana's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research with support from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and funding from Canada's International Development Research Centre. The project trains young people to make juice, snacks, meat alternatives, compost and animal feed from cashew apples.
Researchers noted huge losses: globally about 37 million metric tonnes of cashew apples are produced each year but only about 1.3 million tonnes are processed. Ghana produced over 1.6 million tonnes in 2024, and the project estimates about 90 per cent of that goes to waste. MA-CASH has trained more than 300 young people in six communities and promotes cooling methods and other technologies to reduce waste.
Difficult words
- debt — money that a person must pay back
- fleshy — soft and pulpy part of fruit
- cycle — a regular period of production work
- promote — to encourage the use or spreadpromotes
- compost — decayed organic matter used as plant fertilizer
- process — to change or treat raw material for useprocessed
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you buy juice made from cashew fruit? Why or why not?
- How can social media help small food businesses like Michael's in your area?
- What other uses or methods could help reduce food waste from local crops?
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