Post-harvest improvement of and increased derivation of value from fonio in Africa – Aval Fonio

On the basis of a long-running partnership between CIRAD and the African research community, the Aval Fonio project aimed to bring together the available skills and resources to undertake research for improving post-harvest technologies for fonio and increasing the derivation of value from it.

Start date

17/12/2012

End date

17/12/2015

Objectives

1. Increasing knowledge on fonio-based production systems and associated post-harvest systems.

2. Designing and transferring of post-harvest techniques (harvesting, threshing, cleaning) adapted to the needs of producers or smallholder associations.

3. Improving the quality of marketed fonio through the development and transfer of processing and stabilization technologies, in partnership with small businesses or women’s groups, and to increase the added value of processed products.

4. Increasing knowledge on innovation processes in small agro-industries and contributing to bolstering mechanisms to support businesses.

Location

Africa and Europe

The Aval Fonio project involved five African countries (Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Burundi) and France, which was in charge of coordination.

Partners

In Africa

  • Institut de Recherche Agronomique de Guinée (IRAG), Conakry, Guinea
  • Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies (IRSAT/CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Institute of Rural Economy (IER), Bamako, Mali
  • Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique ­–Cheikh Anta Diop University (ESP/UCAD), Dakar, Senegal
  • Centre National de Technologie Alimentaire (CNTA), Bujumbura, Burundi (associate partner)

In France

  • Recherche agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), Montpellier, France
  • Umr Qualisud
  • Umr Innovation
  • Montpellier SupAgro - Institut des régions chaudes, Montpellier, France (Associé)

Team

Alistar 

Funding

The project was funded by the African Union within the framework of the EuropeAid procedure (10th EDF – European Development Fund).