In Senegal - Fabrice Larue

Supporting local rice production in Senegal

When Fabrice Larue arrived in Senegal in November 2007, his mission was to promote local rice among Senegalese consumers, who often opt for imported rice.

But in January 2008, the global food crisis changed the stakes. With prices skyrocketing -doubling in the span of eight months - priorities needed to shift.

Working with a federation of local rice producers, the Fédération des Périmètres Autogérés, Mr. Larue and two other Canadian volunteers helped build organizational capacity within the Fédération and integrate environmental management principles and trade mechanisms into their operations. Together with their local counterparts, they enabled Senegal's rice producers to not only adapt better to the crisis, but also to maintain and even increase production in the long run.

"Upholding the right to food should be a non-negotiable prerequisite for any major social change," explains Mr. Larue. "In my opinion, working in close collaboration with producers ensures that the requests and the projects respect and accurately reflect the realities of those for whom the land is their home and their livelihood."

Mr. Larue volunteered with Uniterra, one of Canada's foremost international volunteer programs. Jointly led by the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) and the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), Uniterra's volunteers have established working partnerships with local populations in 13 countries. This way, there is a bilateral exchange of knowledge and experience.

As Mr. Larue can attest, in his experience, these collaborative efforts often create tangible, lasting results.

Rice, explains Mr. Larue, was introduced in Senegal during French colonization. While not native to African soil, rice has over the years become a staple in the African diet. Today, the Senegalese consume an average of 74 kg of rice per person, per year. And roughly 80 % of this rice is imported, which leaves the country very vulnerable to price fluctuations on the global market.

The Senegalese do produce rice crops; however, before the crisis, the population tended to choose the less expensive imported rice over locally grown rice. It got to the point where local rice would rot in the warehouse because consumers just weren't buying it.

The food crisis caused the tables to turn, boosting local rice sales temporarily. However, it did not improve the precarious situation of the rice farmers, who until then had been struggling to sell their crops. Drowning in debt, they had trouble finding the credit needed to increase production in response to this jump in demand.

Mr. Larue and his team worked with the Fédération des Périmètres Autogérés to make it easier for farmers to secure agricultural loans for farm inputs, most notably for fertilizer and for seeds.

They also assisted the Fédération in the organization of an annual general meeting, which provided it with the opportunity to update its regulatory documents, thereby enabling it to be better prepared for future challenges.

"Each volunteer collaborator makes a specific contribution. Uniterra's national programme coordinators ensure that volunteers' mandates are related, and that there is coherence and continuity between each of the missions, which are so crucial to the advancement of its projects with partner organizations," he adds.