Post by account_disabled on Feb 19, 2024 16:58:14 GMT 10
Today we want to talk to you about local development , a way of contributing to the development of an area in which the economic, cultural or natural peculiarities of that area are analyzed and used to improve its growth. Burkina Faso is one of the countries in the world where there is the most poverty. According to the United Nations Human Development Index in 2014, it was ranked 183 out of the 186 countries analyzed. In the rice-growing regions of Burkina Faso, where the population is in a very disadvantaged situation, peasants are being able to see how their lives change thanks to a program promoted by Oxfam Intermón that is committed to taking advantage of the resources of the area so that 125,000 people can actively participate in the production, processing and marketing of rice, and thus achieve new opportunities. We want you to know it! local development The rice parboiling plant is managed by a cooperative of women who buy rice from local farmers, parboil it, and sell it on the market at a price above unprocessed rice, generating extra income for their families. © Pablo Tosco / Oxfam Intermón The situation of local development in Burkina Faso Since market liberalization in 1991, local rice production in Burkina Faso had plummeted .
The entry of cheaper Asian rice had caused the development opportunities of local producers to plummet. Today, locally grown rice has a national demand of more than 40%. It has gained ground against Asian competition thanks to the added value provided by steam cooking, a traditional culinary practice of West African women. Since 2010, Oxfam Intermón has been collaborating with a program through which two rice steaming centers have been built , which today are used by around a thousand people to prepare the rice that will be marketed by 300 small producers. Don't you think it's extraordinary? Parboiled rice: part of local development in Burkina Faso Parboiled rice has a Asia Mobile Number List better texture than conventional white rice, while its nutritional value is close to that of brown rice, since in the cooking process the grain absorbs the nutritional properties of the husk. But not only has it brought very positive consequences to the health of the area, but it has also restored the competitive capacity of local production , which a few years ago was not capable of facing Asian production. Normally, the vaporization process is carried out by women who contribute, in this way, to the domestic economy, and this has caused many disadvantaged families to once again have access to medical care, schooling or even clothing and other food.
The role of women in local development in Burkina Faso Another consequence added to this development process is that women have begun to acquire a more important role in society. Currently there are 18 groups with a total of 460 members, who work together and organized in cooperatives of 20 to 30 people. On average, these women earn 915 euros a year and contribute to supporting their families. Therefore, it is also a way to guarantee an active role for women in the country's economy. Mariam Nana, president of the Union of Rice Steamers of Bagré (Union Conannet des Etuveuse de Riz de Bagré) says that “when we started with this, our husbands did not give it any importance, they thought that we were getting tired for nothing and sometimes they told us that We couldn't come, we had to go work in the fields; Now, however, especially since we have the center, men come to see us to ask us to let their wives join our activity.” Did you imagine that a grain of rice could mean so much? local-development-burkina-faso A group of peasant women place the rice in bags for later sale. © Pablo Tosco / Oxfam Intermón The challenges of the future At Oxfam Intermón we believe that there is still much to do, but that a very important step has been taken in increasing the demand for rice and, therefore, its production. Our goal now is to continue seeking financing to increase the consumption and prestige of parboiled rice to continue supporting the local development of the area.