As the academic year draws to a close, we would like to share with you some of the results and successes achieved on the ground by our teams and partners in 2022. During this period, the successful launch of our new 2022-2026 development programme has been at the centre of our concerns, with the desire to relentlessly pursue the construction of a sustainable, equitable and supportive world.

In terms of agroecology, Louvain Coopération is particularly active in the rice sector in Togo, more specifically in the Savanes region. We support around a hundred women processors in the production and marketing of ecological, local, quality rice. Krisito Lamboni, director of the Réseau de Coopératives d'Étuvage du riz (RECER), talks to us about the importance of an agro-ecological transition for the network of cooperatives he represents.

"When we set up the centre, our aim was to produce local, quality rice, but also to help combat hunger and poverty in our regions. This rice, which we have called Savana, is produced at home in an environmentally-friendly way. It is totally different from what you find in imported products.

Currently, we produce, process and market Savana rice. Our aim is firstly to add value to it locally, but, secondly, to market it nationally and, why not, beyond the borders.

In addition, the rice parboiling process involves a large consumption of firewood. We can see that by doing this activity repeatedly, we are actively participating in the destruction of the plant cover, hence the desire to considerably reduce our environmental impact. To this end, since 2022, we have been recycling empty rice husks into biochar, which we use as fuel for parboiling. Since then, we no longer buy firewood and the workers are very happy because parboiling has become much easier and quicker, they are no longer bothered by the smoke and the pots are always clean.

We are currently in the process of obtaining biochar certification. We plan to step up communication campaigns on this product and on improved stoves, which will enable us to market it on a large scale here and elsewhere."

  In 2022, 17,262 kg of rice were produced under agroecological conditions and processed at RECER.