This report presents the details of a case study exploring livelihood patterns of farmer households and linkages with the production and marketing of cashew nuts on the island of Flores. It aimed to understand and identify livelihood constraints in order to fully understand and monitor the impact of a Swisscontact/VECO-Indonesia pilot project on certification and processing of organic cashew nuts in Flores. The study used the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (developed by DFID) to analyse complex livelihood patterns in four villages in Central and Eastern Flores.

Cashew is an increasingly important export commodity for Indonesia. In this article, the authors use data obtained from primary and secondary sources to examine the competitiveness and efficiency of monoculture and intercropping systems of cashew production in West Nusa Tenggara province, and the likely impacts of selected scenarios of anticipated policy changes on the competitiveness of these two systems. This research uses the Policy Analysis Matrix as a data analysis tool.

Cashews are a major crop throughout eastern Indonesia, with an estimated 300,000 smallholders involved in the production. However, a significant proportion of these smallholders are at or below the poverty line. This report outlines—from a supply chain approach—potential strategies to improve the incomes of smallholder cashew farmers in eastern Indonesia as part of a supply chain. The proposed strategies cover the areas of processing, agronomy, variety research, pests and disease, nutrition and soil management, and intercropping.