The aim of the project is to prevent land degradation through awareness creation,  and to encourage farmers to plant cashew trees in Lower and Upper Nuimi districts. Speaking at the occasion, Momodou Jaiteh, the coordinator of the National Cashew Farmers.  Association (NCFA), said NBR has lost 99% of its natural forest canopy and that what remains there consists mainly of savannah woodland, which is also at risk. In order to halt the undesirable trend, he said, cashew production is being introduced within the framework of the agricultural production and diversification. 

According to him, the objective of NCFA, among other things is to promote tree planting by providing 28, 000 cashew seedlings to farmers planting around the fields.The the rationale behind the project revealed, is to encourage farmers to plant cashew trees around their farms to prevent wind and soil erosions, increase soil fertility and productivity and serve as a carbon offset to minimize the effects of climate change. Jaiteh further revealed that the seedlings will be distributed to 60 farmers in Lower and Upper Niumi districts and that the association will endeavour to help communities to come up with their own strategies for their future activities. "Cashew is a profitable crop with a ready market for the nuts, which is highly valued", he stated.

For his part, Setty Suwareh, the secretary to the association, said the socio-economic impacts of the project will empower the people and communities to benefit from the cashew trees after some years - the apple and nuts - which will be processed and sold. This he added, will provide income to the  farmers. "Community participation is essential in the overall project implementation, as it will enable us to collaborate with other farmers and build alliance against environmental degradation," he said. Tamba Kinteh, the chief executive officer of the Kerewan Area Council, thanked the NCFA for their efforts in sensitising the farmers on the promotion of cashew production. He urged the NCFA to help in creating a market outlet for the farmers, as it will enhance production and contribute to poverty reduction. 

Kinteh assured that the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment sub-committee will endeavour to liase with relevant institutions in the region to disseminate the information on cashew production at grassroots level. He also assured them that the Multidisciplinary Facilitation Team (MDFT), in the region will assist NCFA in the formation of village kafos and regional kafos to better coordinate the promotion of cashew production at grassroots level.  
Sheriff Sanyang of the Regional Agricultural Directorate, for his part, assured them of his office's collaboration with NCFA towards addressing reforestation and improving soil fertility.