Green Gold

Published in the January issue of Interdépendances, here is an article (in French) written by Raphaëlle Birot, agricultural engineer and member of the project team that initiated the project of rural sales of spirulina in Burkina Faso.

In 2009, 25 beneficiaries of the MFI AsIEnA distributed over 120kg of spirulina in the villages around Koudougou, we can be hopeful that in 2010, even more malnourished children and adults will be able to add this powerful nutrient to their daily meal...

TresorVert.pdf

Proud to be a Nakolbzanga!

(Narrated by Adelaide Gros)

It’s nearly a year since the spirulina project in partnership with the MFI AsIEnA started in Koudougou, Burkina Faso. The time has therefore come for a first evaluation and it’s an opportunity to discuss with the Nakoglbzanga* and know their feelings and motivations about the project.

I wanted to share with you the conversation I had with Georgette Kansono, Nakoglbzanga from Goundi a nearby village. What struck me most when meeting her is Georgette’s pride. When we mention spirulina, she smiles and immediately launches in a detailed explanation about the benefits the green powder has on people’s health if consumed regularly. She is all the more convincing that she experienced it herself. Since taking 5 grams of spirulina with her daily bowl of rice or to, she sleeps better and feels stronger.
Everybody in the village knows she sells spirulina in the village. And she adds that the recognition she gets from being a Nakoglbzanga is very important. She displays her Nakoglbzanga badge proudly, and head high definitely looks like she is very aware of the responsibility that rests on her shoulders. She surveys the crowd the alleys of the market, shouts with great conviction "spirulina, spirulina" and walks around selling the green and yellow sachets of spirulina. She also explains that she combines the position of Nakoglbzanga, which is a new income-generating activity for her with that of Mama Health, a benevolent role in which she handles the sales that take place within her MUSO ** to the members of the group and their families.

It is now usual that some villagers might come knocking on her door asking for a word of advice, as they have some health issues. Georgette speaks of spirulina with passion and is undoubtedly a great ambassador of this food supplement. But she remains realistic: Yes, spirulina can brings health and is good for everyone, children, adults and elderly alike, but it’s not a drug, it can never replace a chemist or doctor’s prescription. And to enjoy the benefits of spirulina, it must be consumed regularly, not as a one-off like some tables but for at least two or three weeks per year. Sadly at the moment in Burkina Faso, during the lean period, when granaries are empty and fields not yet ready to be harvested, families who live in the countryside can no longer afford to pay for spirulina. At the price of 500 FCFA francs per sachet, even loyal clients can not find the cash and have to wait until next month to resume their treatment. Georgette laments about this situation not because her profits decline during the winter season, but because she really cares about the health of its neighbours and there does not seem to be an easy solution to this pricing problem, local spirulina farms are already selling under margins.
All 25 trained Nakoglbzanga in Koudougou currently face a real challenge to fulfil their task, because customers have less money, but the cost of spirulina remains the same. But the priority remains for Georgette and the other Nakoglbzanga of the project to inform people about the benefits of spirulina and to try by all means to make it accessible to people living in the bush. In the meantime, EdM and AsIEnA are also talking with the farms to see how to possibly reduce the costs and selling prices, while not impacting on the sustainability of the project or the viability of farms ... A fine balance to strike...

* Spirulina sellers and counsellors, they are all members of the MFI AsIEna and belong to different MUSO. The name means 'the one who looks after the well-being of all' in the local dialect Moré.
** MUSO, Mutuelle Solidarité, a solidarity group of men and women who belong to the MFI AsIEnA.

Spirulina now available in all good bush villages

From the chemist’s shelves to the village's market stalls...

Spirulina, a microscopic algae with exceptional nutritional value, was recently introduced to the villages around Koudougou in Burkina Faso. You can now see grandmothers jumping on both feet to prove us that yes, spirulina makes you healthy, and it’s especially noticeable, when your body is worn out and malnourished and you have been working so hard in the field, while not being able to rest properly at night.

It’s only the beginning, the program started two months ago, when the little green powder left the shelves of the chemists to be sold at the monthly meetings of ASIENA’s solidarity groups (ASIENA is one of the partner MFI of EDM in Burkina Faso). Already 480 people attended the information sessions and learnt all about the benefits of the cocktail of vitamins and minerals that is spirulina. 68% of those who attended the sessions bought some spirulina for an average of one packet and a half per person. Some people have been buying up to 4 or 5 packets of 25g a head. The majority of people got it for themselves, to cure illnesses or tiredness. Some also bought it for their children, suffering from malnutrition.

The second major event was the one day training on November 6th, when 14 people (one per Muso) came to the spirulina farm for a sales training. 14 "Mom or Dad Nakoglbzanga" - Nakoglbzanga in local language being the one who "watches over our health at all" graduated. Some are selling dolo or condiments, others are breeders or farmers. At the end of training, they all chose to take a microcredit of 7500 FCFA (11 euros) to purchase a stock of 20 sachets of 25g of spirulina. Four days later, four of them had already sold out and wanted to renew. We are looking forward to hearing from the others ... and we will be there to coach them in this new venture, help them develop their sales techniques and be wise about saving their earnings.

A second training session of our Nakoglbzanga is scheduled to take place in December to strengthen their marketing skills and give then a training on nutrition.
That is because selling is only one aspect of the job, the Nakoglbzanga are also here, as the healthkeepers of the community, reminding people that ‘one spoonful of spirulina a day keeps the doctor away’!

RAPHAELLE

Eat your greens!

Hi everyone!

Here I am in Burkina Faso, ten days only, but it feels like a lot longer! It is probably because our ‘Coordinatrice Afrique de l’ouest’ is a busy lady and because we have waited too long to start promoting spirulina in Burkina Faso, stocks are piling high.

So I will be here for 4 months in order to study the possibility to increase the consumption and sale of spirulina with a tailor-made microfinance product. This microscopic algae is already produced in a dozen small farms in Burkina Faso. The smallest one has 10 sq. m of bassins, the largest one in Koudougou, is a "showcase project" for spirulina in West Africa. Funded by the Government, it consists of 3600 square meters, but only one-third is being used because consumers are not queuing up yet.
But this magical algae has properties that should seduce everyone in Burkina and further away! Vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and essential amino acids, pigments… make it an ideal dietary supplement to help malnourished children have a balanced diet. It also helps strengthen the immune system and has positive effects on the overall health of people living with AIDS, hypertension, diabetes, eyesight problems, attention deficit disorders… and even impotence problems… Eating only 5g of spirulina a day has a positive effect on all these pathologies.
But the green color, the smell, the taste, the very fact that it’s an algae make it difficult for people in Burkina Faso to eat willingly. Japanese would find it a lot more appealing for example.

So with Laetitia and Marguerite, racing on our P50*, we are attempting to make spirulina the bread and butter of Burkina Faso… something like this!
The ideas are already flowing, honey, coconut cookies, peanut cakes, drinks, all could be enriched with spirulina; to make it known, we should advertise on the radio, throw a play, ask a local story-teller to spread the news… we will look at micro loan products to boost the sales of raw spirulina, as well as enriched products. We’ll keep you in the spiral… and welcome your ideas!

Speak soon!

Raphaëlle

*local motorbike