Recherche et développement d’un four à écorces de riz au Burkina Faso

Committed to giving an entire community the keys to success

Fighting famine and protecting the environment while at the same time thriving economically are concepts that may seem contradictory to some, but for the six students who make up the Groupe de collaboration internationale de l’Université de Sherbrooke (GCIUS), they can be combined with great success. This success, which required a whole year of commitment, took the shape of a rice parboiling centre and rice husk furnaces in Burkina Faso.

Since last fall, the rice processing industry in the town of Bama has, to say the least, undergone quite a transformation. Rice parboiling, for the most part performed by women – while the men are in charge of harvesting –, can be a lengthy and not very profitable process when the equipment used dates back to a bygone era. With the new parboiling centre, it is expected that women parboilers will be able to triple their revenue. Among other things, the use of rice husk furnaces reduces operating costs and ensures higher quality and a greater yield, and this opens the doors to more profitable markets. It is therefore beneficial to the entire community.

Numbering nine in total, the furnaces installed by the Université de Sherbrooke students have the added advantage of countering deforestation and desertification, a steadily increasing problem in this western region of Burkina Faso. By using a free and readily available combustible material (rice husks), the community can reduce its daily consumption of wood while benefiting from the same combustion capacity.

But what are the merits of such installations if they are not put to good use. Aware of the importance of transmitting the necessary knowledge, the GCIUS students worked in close collaboration with local women and even hired a local trainee, paying him three months salary to ensure the smooth running of operations after their departure.

“We learned that everything has to be set in motion gradually and the women parboilers are steadily getting to know the ins and outs of the centre. What’s more, they obtained a loan to help them market their first production, something that would have been previously unimaginable. It’s rewarding to see that our involvement was worthwhile,” asserts Kristell Savard, one of the participants.

In addition to the nine furnaces, the centre is equipped with a depot, an area for drying the parboiled rice, latrines, a well and a building for sorting, storing and selling the rice. To carry out their mission within the prescribed time, the students were able to rely on the exceptional help of the people of Bama and even benefited from the manpower of Québec high school students who were given the chance to take part in an international cooperation project. Close on the heels of this experience, the university students developed a workshop for high school students based on their project, which they have been hosting since last fall with the goal of raising awareness among young people of the importance of collaboration between nations.

“I’d go back any day. Just talking about it brings all the emotions back to the surface. Our relationship with the local people was extraordinary. We were given such a warm welcome. My experience will definitely have an impact on my professional interests as an engineer. I’m not sure how just yet, but this type of experience leaves a lasting impression,” Kristell says with wonder.

Recherche et développement d’un four à écorces de riz au Burkina Faso