Grain of Life

Once neglected in favor of cash crops, the demand for Fonio, an ancient African grain, is growing in international markets with interest from the likes of Whole Foods Market.

Its impressive nutritional value, fast growth and ability to thrive in poor and dry soil, offer an enormous opportunity for reducing food insecurity and poverty in Senegal.

However women, the main actors in the Fonio value chain, face production, processing, and distribution challenges.

COAID, a family-owned small scale industry in Senegal, propose the following partnerships:

• Disseminating a production method to maximize the growing period of Fonio: an innovative method inspired by hydroponics for the the dry season ( 8 months) and improved farming methods in the fields during rainy season ( 4 months). 
• Buying Fonio harvests from rural women for processing and transformation into value added products. 
•  Setting up distribution channels for the value-added products for the local and international market.

With unpredictable rainfall and salinization of rice fields du to climate change, rural women like our aunt Lisa who rely largely on rice production and gardening to feed their families are struggling to adapt. Once neglected in favor of growing cash crops and importing grains, Fonio will play a crucial role in reducing food insecurity and poverty in Sub Saharan Africa. 

In Senegal, women are the main actors in the Fonio supply chain. They often face the following production, processing and distribution challenges:

Production: 

• Since most of production happens in fields with no irrigation system, production is limited to the rainy season (3-4 months in Senegal). 
• Fonio production methods need to be optimized to improve the currently low yield ( < 1 ton/hect).

Processing: 

• Because of the limited availability of shelling machines and their low capacity ( < 300kg/hr), processing happens largely using traditional methods ( 1-3 kg/hr).
• Traditional processing operations such as decortication, washing for sand removal, cooking, and drying are time, labor, energy and water intensive.  

Distribution: 

• The limited availability of value-added products and applications of Fonio limits its commercial potential. 
• Inconsistent supply and quality due to production and processing challenges limits its growth in new markets.

At COAID, we propose the following solutions to production, processing and distribution challenges women are facing:

Production: 

• Maximize the growing period of Fonio through: 
  • An innovative method that we call Fonioponics inspired by hydroponics and adapted to low income settings for the the dry season ( 8 months). 
  • Improved farming methods such as intercropping with other resilient nitrogen and water capturing species in the fields during rainy season ( 4 months). 
•  Use Fonioponics to produce Fonio grain and also animals fodder all year round. 

Processing: 

• Buying Fonio harvests from rural women for processing and transformation into value added products
• Recycling the used water from sand removal operations for Fonioponics  to reduce water waste
• Parboiling washed decorticated Fonio in rotary gas dryer and drying parboiled Fonio in direct solar heat cabinet dryer to reduce energy consumption

Distribution: 

• Setting up distribution channels for the value-added products for local and international markets
• organization of the entire value chain on the basis of win/win  partnership contracts in production or supply between small scale industries and commercial firms
• Developing instant foods from fonio, Baobab, and nere

Traditionally, women are the main actors in the Fonio value chain. We intend recognize and uplift women in every stage of our solution: 

Production

• The transfer of technology as local rural women are trained in Fonioponics and improved farming methods. Women will be able to produce Fonio all year round and improve their yields.
• Because Fonioponics uses less space and water, production will be brought closer home, increasing connivance and security.
• Creating partnerships with local women association to ensure a market for their harvest and fair prices.

Processing

• Buying Fonio Paddy directly after harvest will alleviate women from the arduous post-harvest processing operation that discouraged many from getting involved in Fonio.
• Create more local jobs especially for women by maintaining a higher women/men ration in our processing operations. 

Distribution

• Allow more money to remain in the local economy by using locally produced, processed, and distributed valued-added Fonio products that at then sold in local and international markets. 
• Creating jobs by working with local women association for the door to door sale and retail of our value-added products
• Offering a variety of highly nutritious food alternatives to imported food products. 

The challenge aims to promote low-carbon global food system that provides nutrition with minimal environmental impact.

Our solution is based on the valorization of Fonio, a highly nutritious grain that is drought resistant and low maintenance that does not require herbicides and fertilizer. Building a Fonio supply chain with women involved at every level will be instrumental in fighting food insecurity and poverty. 

Our production, processing, and transformation technologies such as Fonioponics and solar heat cabinet driers allows us to increase production, reduce waste, and create value-added products that will create jobs and pump money into the local economy

While Fonio is not a new grain, our solution proposes innovative adaptions of existing technologies:

Production:

• Fonio production was limited to the dry season (3-4 months). The use of Fonioponics, our adaption of hydroponic technologies to Fonio for use in low-income setting, will allow the production of Fonio all year round. Fonioponics reduces contamination with sand which will reduce 

Processing:

• Our solar heat drying cabinet allows us to reduce to energy use in the drying process. 

The limitation of hydroponics in rural Senegal is the the high cost of materials and inaccessibility hydroponic nutrient solution. Fonioponics draws upon properties of Fonio which can grow in dry and poor soils. Thus, fonioponics does not require store bought nutrient solutions and uses less water. Borrowing concepts from vertical gardens, we can maximize the quantity of Fonio grown in a given space. 

At farm level we will sign a mutual supply contract with women engaged in Fonio cultivation. We will supply technical assistance, selected Fonio seeds   and the women will sell us their harvest at agreed price. We are currently serving ten women, we would be serving one hundred in one year and one  thousand in five years.

At processing  and distribution levels we are employing five persons , in one year they would be twenty in five years fifty.

Full-time: Dr. Moussa Souane

Part-time: 

• Sun Young Kim
• Fatou Diallo
• Joshua Souane
• Fossar Souane
• Marignima Souane