ALBERT

Description: Rapid population growth and urbanization in West Africa have led to profound changes in the lifestyles and diets of urban dwellers. These changes are marked by greater preference for healthier and more nutritious foods, easy to prepare and to consume while saving time. Hence, the development of small-scale food processing and catering activities in the cities. However, despite its importance, the urban food industry still faces several constraints, mainly the lack of equipment that would save cooking time and increase the nutritional quality of final products for consumers. Promoting optimum food processing technologies and business processes has therefore become a major concern for research and policy-makers. This study was conducted as part of the ICOWPEA research project aimed at assessing the economic and sales potential of artisanal food processing microenterprises that produce “atta,” a cowpea fritter or snack, in the city of Cotonou. A sample of twenty-seven women-headed microenterprises was randomly selected from a list of 125 recorded in 22 streets distributed across 13 districts of the city. They were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The survey allowed us to assess how they function, their production costs, and financial performance. The surveyed microenterprises belonged to woman artisans, average age 45, who ran their own businesses. Microenterprises allow many young family members to enter the informal job market. While knowledge is mostly transmitted from mother to daughter and based on learning by doing, very simple processing tools are used. Although mechanical milling is used at some stages of cowpea processing, overall, artisanal “atta” production is a low-profitability business with a return rate of only 11.7%. However, it contributes to feeding the family and rewards family labor that accounts for up to 27.6% of total production cost. In addition to creating jobs for low-income female youth, the activity accounts for a remarkable share of the urban food business sector in Cotonou. Technological upgrading and business empowerment are required for these women to become real entrepreneurs and to overcome the key constraints they face, including the lack of access to credit and absence of improved technologies, training and government recognition. In that respect, appropriate policies are needed to take them out of poverty and make Benin the emerging economy it aspires to be. In particular, a dedicated investment and business development support scheme is required to better meet the growing domestic urban food demand and, in the near future, to envisage the export of stabilized and safer finished cowpea products.

Description: Grain, particularly cereals and legumes, remains the basis of the diet, or even the main part of the ration, in most countries of the South. While the increase in production partly meets the increase in demand, it is still essential to improve the conservation and processing of products to reduce post-harvest losses. Today, urbanization is leading to different eating habits, as urban households no longer have enough time to prepare traditional dishes. The food market is changing and consumers are no longer just buying basic foodstuffs, but are looking for products that are already processed, ready to cook or ready to eat, and produced in a way that satisfies their perception of organoleptic quality, respects hygiene rules and is environmentally friendly. This book addresses several aspects of grain processing and complements the book on grain preservation in the same collection. It presents different processing methods, mainly targeting small and medium-sized enterprises as the main actors in food processing systems in the South. This book is a practical reference for all grain processing professionals and for all development actors in the South / Les grains et particulièrement les céréales et les légumineuses restent la base de l'alimentation, voire l'essentiel de la ration, dans la plupart des pays du Sud. Si l'accroissement de la production répond, en partie, à la hausse de la demande, il reste indispensable d'améliorer la conservation et la transformation des produits pour réduire les pertes post-récolte. Aujourd'hui, l'urbanisation induit d'autres habitudes alimentaires, les ménages urbains n'ayant plus assez de temps pour préparer les mets traditionnels. Le marché de l'alimentation évolue et les consommateurs ne sont plus seulement acheteurs de denrées de base, mais recherchent des produits déjà transformés, prêts à cuire ou prêts à consommer, et fabriqués selon des procédés satisfaisant leur perception de la qualité organoleptique, respectant les règles d'hygiène et respectueux de l'environnement. Cet ouvrage aborde plusieurs aspects de la transformation des grains et complète le livre sur la conservation des grains dans la même collection. Il présente différents procédés de transformation en ciblant principalement les petites et moyennes entreprises comme principaux acteurs des systèmes de transformation des produits alimentaires dans les pays du Sud. Cet ouvrage constitue une référence pratique pour tous les professionnels de la transformation des grains et pour tous les acteurs du développement dans les pays du Sud

Description: This book covers several aspects of grain processing and complements the book on grain preservation in the same collection. It presents different processing methods, targeting mainly small and medium-sized enterprises as the main players in food processing systems in the South countries.

Description: This work presents the different stages in mango processing, from fruit delivery to dried mango marketing. It includes a detailed analysis of each operation: theoretical principles, equipment required, good practice in terms of usage and hygiene, quality management, "material" yields and energy consumption, labour requirements, etc. In addition to technical advice notes, readers will find a diagram of a mango drying unit, designs for a ventilated dryer, and a production manual for use in preparing for, monitoring and assessing drying campaigns. The guide is intended for managers of small- and medium- scale firms keen to improve operations at their production units, and entrepreneurs and project leaders interested in setting up mango drying units.