FERMES ACTUALITES

Newsletter No. 7

JUNE 1999

Growing Mushrooms: a new source of revenue

Although some encouraging exceptions exist, the cultivation of mushrooms has remained unknown in many West African countries until recently. The consumption of this plant is a rather delicate matter as some varieties of mushrooms gathered from their natural forest habitat are toxic. It is very important, therefore, to know the species well so as to avoid the toxic varieties.

These plants, which are very rich in proteins and are fairly well known in developed countries, can now be easily cultivated at Songhai. The multiplication process has been mastered, as well as the production system.

Formerly unknown at Songhai, the process of multiplying spores and tissues had been the limiting factor in the first experiments on mushroom production, since one had to constantly use other fruits, that is, the edible part of the mushroom.

Drying fruits and vegetables

This is an innovative way of adding value to fruits after harvesting and eliminating waste. Peak fruit season often leads to heaps of ripe fruits rotting away. For example, during the mango season when rotting piles can be seen everywhere, along with ghastly swarms of flies, carriers of various diseases.

With the drying technique, mangoes, pineapples, tomatoes, onions, papayas, okra, and other fruits and vegetables can be preserved and scenes such as the one described above can be avoided.

The drying of fruits and vegetables, therefore, is an excellent opportunity. The processing unit at Songhai understands created a system that takes full advantage of the process.

Different types of energy may be utilized in drying; those currently in the experimentation phase are the solar drier and the gas drier. Even though the latter appears more efficient and faster, the former is not to be ignored although it has the limitation of taking a much longer time.

One very important point in this technique: clean products very well.

Using garlic to cure whitflow

Take 3 or 4 cloves or garlic and pound them
Add some salt and mix well
Apply the mixture to the infected part
Bind a clean strip of cloth on the infected part
Repeat the procedure until healing is complete
(Songhai team)

Use onions to treat several ailments

Instantaneous cure of asthma.
Take 3 or 4 cloves of onion.
Grind them finely.
Boil in water for 10 minutes.
Take a small cup of the liquid every morning and another at night, with a little honey
(Songhai follow-up team)

Liver problems

To help your liver function properly, all you need to do is prepare a natural coffee powder using "kinkéliba".
Procedure:
Gather ripe seeds of "kinkéliba".
Allow them to dry completely over a long period of time.
Roast the seeds (cook them completely, just as is done with soybeans used in making feed)
Grind the well-roasted seeds.

Dosage:
Take a teaspoonful of this powder regularly at a rate comfortable for your system (this you will have to determine yourself), preferably in the morning, using the same amount as you would for your habitual cup of coffee.
Either hot or cold water may be used; the powder is equally effective.

An easy way to collect snails

There is a very simple method of collecting snails in the forest.
Before or after a rainfall, scatter some moist maize bran in the forest at the place where snails are known to abound.
The maize bran gives off a fermented smell, which attracts the snails.
The following morning, check out your trap. All the snails from the surrounding area have come out to eat the fermented bait, and you can gather them easily.
Snails are very delicious when fried with tomatoes and accompanied with akassa or rice. Enjoy! (Codjo SOSSA, Farmer in Ouèdèmè Péddah, Comè).