Walmart Foundation donates $100,000 to help restore cashew-based livelihoods in Tamil Nadu

• The Walmart Foundation donation to help women affected by the Cyclone Thane in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu
• 3,600 beneficiaries, 900 of which are women, will be positively impacted by this project by March 2013

The Walmart Foundation announced a USD 100,000 donation to a project to help small scale farmers, including 900 women, affected by Cyclone Thane in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, where the Walmart Foundation’s Cashew Value Chain Initiative is currently underway. This project will be implemented by CARE, a leading international humanitarian organization.

Through the donation, the Walmart Foundation and CARE aim to restore livelihoods for small scale farmers involved in the cashew processing sector in Cuddalore, promote sustainable cashew cultivation practices and rebuild damaged cashew processing infrastructure, thereby restoring sustainable livelihoods. Key initiatives that will be undertaken include cash-for-work program for debris clearance, land preparation for cashew tree plantation, creation of common livelihood interest groups of small farmers, training on sustainable cashew cultivation practices and capacity building for farmers. This project will also create awareness to enable individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to play active roles to achieve, protect, sustain and adopt improved agriculture and production practices that facilitate better results.

Mr. Raj Jain, Managing Director & CEO, Bharti Walmart Pvt. Ltd. said “Cuddalore has major clusters of large-scale cashew farming and processing activities. The sector employs several thousand marginalized women in the cashew cultivation and post-harvest production. The recent cyclone in the area claimed 47 lives, impacted 735 villages and 500,000 people. Through this initiative, we hope to help rebuild the capacity of cashew growers and post-harvest workers and ensure positive, sustainable benefits for families adversely impacted by the cyclone. Approximately 3,600 beneficiaries, 900 of which are women, will benefit from the restoration activities and a short-term cash-for-work program.”

Dr. Muhammad Musa, CEO & Country Director, CARE India said “Cyclone Thane has resulted in the loss of livelihoods of women and small-scale farmers who were totally dependent upon the agricultural and processing sectors, and lack any alternative sources of earning income. CARE will work to reconstruct livelihood opportunities for the women and people of Cuddalore district and increase participation in the Walmart Cashew Value Chain project. We will also continue to encourage women to organize and participate in Self-Help Groups and Federations to collectively ensure their livelihoods and sustainability of the initiative.”