BACKGROUND FOR MY L4C PLACEMENT
Through technical and financial support from
Uniterra and the International Collaboration Engineering Group of the
University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, the Bama rice union in Burkina has obtained
a parboiling centre in 2008. This facility has increased the number of members
from 326 in 2009 to 686 in 2013 and the turnover has evolved from $40k to $400k
in the same time interval. Despite this strong turnover growth, the quality of
rice remains well below customer expectations. Indeed, there are still
impurities like stones or others in the rice marketed by the union. My support
as a volunteer in control and quality assurance, through this placement with Uniterra and Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) will help the Interprofessional
Committee of Rice in Burkina (CIR-B) in optimizing
the parboiling process, packaging and storage to ensure a better quality of rice
in the market. This will be done through identifying critical issues in the
parboiling process and packaging of rice, proposing an approach that meets the
standards of quality and hygiene in Burkina, and train women on new approaches. Women will also be trained on how to participate effectively in professional associations.
Parboiled rice refers to rice that has been boiled in its husk. This technique has several advantages: it allows for easy processing of rice by hand, protects its nutritional profile and changes its texture, thereby increasing its value in the local market. This enables an increased income for the household. Therefore, this initiative will increase women’s revenues significantly and contribute to reducing extreme food insecurity in Burkina Faso.
Figure: Women's cooperative leads in parboiled rice.
Bama is a town in the Solenzo Department of Banwa Province in western Burkina Faso, in West Africa. My experience during this placement will be documented on this blog site.
Stay tuned!!!
