FROM HEAD OF DISTRICT TO PRESIDENT OF FENAPAB: DISCOVER THE STORY OF SAHADATOU ATTA!!

A native of northern BENIN, Mrs. Sahadatou ATTA KAKAYATCHI, in her fifties, began and completed her entire educational career in Parakou at the Primary School "Abdoulaye Issa", then at CEG 1 "Hubert MAGA". She embarked on her career with the Forest Resource Restoration Project (PRRF) funded by the government of Germany where she spent several years before joining the cashew sector. Married and mother of three, Sahadatou owns five 7.5-hectare cashew plantations in Pénessoulou in the commune of Bassila, 372 km from cotonou in northern Benin. Entering the production of cashew since 1998, and previously Chef district, this devoted mother manages in the alternative, her restaurant, her soap trade and carries out social works in favor of the orphans of her district.
Her bravery and the support of BeninCajù, accompanied by the support of actors in the sector, contributed to her brilliant election as head of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of Cashew Producers of Benin (FENAPAB). Indeed, having included in its priorities from the year 2019, activities for the awareness of actors with a view to better taking gender into account in the different links of production, the BeninCajù project strongly campaigned upstream by advocacy with FENAPAB for the amendment of texts in favor of greater gender mainstreaming. Thus, BeninCajù supported downstream, the process of renewal of the management bodies of FENAPAB which ended on September 23, 2019 with the election at its head of Mrs. Sahadatou ATTA KAKAYATCHI as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors.
«The success of my mandate, I urge women to fight harder for a significant boom in the sector. I request the support of the agricultural authorities of the APRM for the achievement of our common objectives, since cashew is the 2nd export culture of Benin and better, one of the flagship sectors of Bénin Government's Action Plan »  Sahadatou ATTA KAKAYATCHI
In addition, Sahadatou has recorded a significant growth in her performance since she worked with BeninCajù.
 «Before BeninCajù, I worked in my plantations simply by reforesting in an archaic manner, pell-mell, without picketing; and I produced 300kg of cashews per season. With BeninCajù from 2017, I acquired notions on how to plant (soil preparation, picketing, hole making, respecting the number of centimeters, planting grafted plants), which favored an increase in the quantity of cashew nuts produced to 500 kg in 2019 on my 7 hectares. My income has therefore increased by 67% in 2 years, which allows me to support my husband and take better care of my family. At this pace, I plan to acquire new land in order to extend my production to 1000 kg on 15 hectares by 2022 in 3 years. »Sahadatou ATTA KAKAYATCHI
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Watch this video! 

Sahadatou alongside the mayor of Bassila

Sahadatou in one of her plantations in Bassila

Sahadatou at home with her children