Balancing competitiveness and inclusion: a systematic review of smallholder integration models within Sub-Saharan African cashew value chains

Purpose This study aims to synthesise rigorous evidence on smallholder integration models in Sub-Saharan African cashew value chains and assess whether they simultaneously deliver commercial competitiveness and inclusive development for approximately three million smallholder farmers. Design/methodology/approach A PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review searched Scopus and Google Scholar. After eligibility screening and quality appraisal (Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool), we retained 39 empirical studies from eight Sub-Saharan African countries for narrative synthesis. Findings We identified seven integration model types across 23 studies; the remaining 16 examined production, land use or welfare without documenting a discrete arrangement. Contract farming alone showed consistently positive competitiveness findings but also the most consistently adverse gender findings. Of 11 studies reporting productivity, four were positive, three negative and three null. Participation barriers (15 studies) and governance inclusion (6) were uniformly adverse. Research limitations/implications The evidence base is concentrated in Ghana (53.8% of studies); Côte d'Ivoire, the world's largest raw cashew producer, is represented by only one study. Designs are predominantly cross-sectional and outcome-associational rather than causal. Future research should prioritise longitudinal designs, governance-focused enquiry and underrepresented countries. Originality/value This is among the first PRISMA-compliant systematic reviews of smallholder integration in SSA cashew value chains. Its main contribution is showing that the competitiveness–inclusion tension remains largely unaddressed: only four of 39 studies examine it within a discrete arrangement, while 12 address cash crop versus food crop allocation.