Overview of smallholders’ local rice post-harvest activities in Benin: Gender, practices, commercialization and rice processors livelihoods

Conference (2012, August)

Rice is a primary food source, vital vehicle in dealing with food security and eradicating poverty. In Benin rice is becoming increasingly important and its production and processing tasks are divided on ... [more ▼]

Rice is a primary food source, vital vehicle in dealing with food security and eradicating poverty. In Benin rice is becoming increasingly important and its production and processing tasks are divided on the basis of gender, with women being responsible for much of the drudgery involved in processing. To have an overview of gender and socio-economic dimensions of local rice processing in Benin, a study was conducted in the north and south of Benin with 240 smallholder rice processors randomly selected. In addition to structured interviews and weekly report sheets, the participatory assessment on sustainable livelihood approach was used to appreciate the different states of their financial, social, human, natural and physical capitals assets. Rice processors are mostly women (67% in the whole sample). Men are more representative in white rice processing while women are more representative in parboiled rice processing. Women rice processors have less acces to formal learning source and have bad practices during white rice processing. The traditional rice parboiling methods that don’t lead to good quality rice is prevalence. The main actors of local rice commercialization are the rice producers; the bodies of the Ministry of Agriculture; Famers Organisation and smallholder local rice processors who are generally young women. During local rice commercialization, women are more representative in the sale without contract in the processing village while men are more representative in the sale under a contract. The overall state of capitals is low with better scores in human, physical and natural capitals stocks for men and in social capital for women. [less ▲]

Strengthening local innovations in rice processing through video in Benin

Conference (2010, November)

In Africa, rice processing provides employment for many rural people. A survey on local rice processing methods in the north, central and south of Benin shows that local rice is often parboiled before ... [more ▼]

In Africa, rice processing provides employment for many rural people. A survey on local rice processing methods in the north, central and south of Benin shows that local rice is often parboiled before milling. Rice parboiling is an important transformation process that contributes greatly to enhancing quality of rice. This important income generating activity is exclusively done by women from rice producing communities. In Benin, the traditional rice parboiling method is still prevailing and does not lead to quality rice. To address this, an improved rice parboiling technology was developed. AfricaRice subsequently developed a video where rural women explain how to use this improved technology. Four NGOs in central Benin publicly screened the video in 80 villages. After women watched the video, they started using the improved parboiler equipment individually or collectively. Women who didn’t have the financial support to buy the improved equipment understood its principle and developed creative solutions based on the idea of pre-cooking paddy with steam. Video watching also made women pay attention to reducing the loss of steam and to use local resources innovatively to conserve energy. Women also improved the quality of their parboiled rice by removing dirt, properly washing rice and drying rice on tarpaulins. On the other hand, in the north and south of Benin where there were no public video screenings, the traditional rice parboiling method is still predominant. This study shows the potential of farmer-to-farmer video to improve farmers’ practices and their attitudes to work collectively in agro-processing and marketing. [less ▲]

Entrepreneurial mindset and institutional innovations triggered by rice parboiling video in Benin

Conference (2010, March 24)

To improve rice parboiling in Benin, an improved parboiling process with new equipment is being released. Farmer-to-farmer video (initiated by Africa Rice Center) was used by four local NGOs in the ... [more ▼]

To improve rice parboiling in Benin, an improved parboiling process with new equipment is being released. Farmer-to-farmer video (initiated by Africa Rice Center) was used by four local NGOs in the Department of Collines to disseminate the technology. In order to explore changes that have been made in this rural area following the use of this learning approach, 160 women and 17 women’s associations were surveyed in 16 villages where the video was shown. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using focus groups, semi-structured interviews, participant observations, questionnaires and photographs. The video had not only improved women’s creative spirit, but also their motivation and awareness about the importance of parboiling as a revenue-generating activity. Women have become organized around rice parboiling leading to the creation of associations, more appeals to NGOs for additional training in rice parboiling, improved service delivery and improved packaging and marketing of parboiled rice. Improving women’s entrepreneurial spirit contributed to improving the quality of parboiled rice and therefore to an increase in its price, which increased women’s revenues and strengthened social cohesion. The video favored not only the improvement of extension methods used by facilitators, but also the strengthening of relationships among facilitators, rural communities, women processors, microfinance institutions, and input and output markets. Women had more access to formal credit because of their improved organization. Rice producers who attended the open-air video shows at the same time as the women rice processors became more willing to sell rice on credit to the women. The results of this study have allowed us to understand how video can favor the development of institutional innovations and reinforce relationships between facilitators and rural entrepreneurs. [less ▲]

The power of video to trigger innovation: rice processing in central Benin

in INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY (2009), 7(2), 119-129

Understanding how to stimulate innovation among farmers and processors is crucial for attaining sustainable agriculture. To explore how farmer-to-farmer learning videos and training workshops changed ... [more ▼]

Understanding how to stimulate innovation among farmers and processors is crucial for attaining sustainable agriculture. To explore how farmer-to-farmer learning videos and training workshops changed women’s rice processing practices, we interviewed 200 women and 17 women’s groups in 20 villages in central Benin, including four villages which had received no intervention at all. Video on improved rice parboiling (a process whereby paddy is pre-cooked by steam without touching the water) had reached three times more women (74%) than hands-on training workshops organized by local NGOs and contributed to more equitable knowledge sharing within communities. In the villages where the NGOs had shown the video, 24% of the women started to use the improved parboiler equipment individually and 56% collectively within their group, compared to none in the control villages. About 92% of the women who attended both video and workshops developed creative solutions based on the idea of pre-cooking paddy with steam, compared to 72% for those who learned only through video. Fewer women innovated after learning through workshops only (19%) and after being informed by their peers (15%). Video watching also made women pay attention to reducing the loss of steam and to use local resources innovatively to conserve energy. More than 90% of the women who watched the video improved the quality of their parboiled rice, for example, by removing dirt, washing rice several times and drying rice on tarpaulins. Workshops stimulated innovations less than video did. Farmer-to-farmer video has great potential to enhance sustainable agriculture by encouraging local innovations. [less ▲]