Fonio husking machine
Encyclopedia
A Fonio husking machine was invented by Sanoussi Diakité, a Senegalese
mechanical engineer. Diakité was awarded the Rolex Award
in 1996 for the invention. Fonio
is a staple crop in western Africa
. Because the fonio grain
s are so small, it is difficult to remove the brittle outer shell. "For hundreds of years, African women have carried out the painstaking task of preparing fonio by pounding and threshing a grain and sand mixture with a pestle and mortar. After one hour of this tedious work, only two kilograms of fonio are available for consumption and fifteen liters of water are needed to remove the sand."The whole process has been reduced from a 1 hour job to a 6 minute job.
Diakité's solution was a 50 kg device that gently abrades the surface of the seed before passing through a rotating mechanism, which removes the husks.
This device is an example of appropriate technology
, because of its ability to solve a significant problem in developing countries and the ease with which it can be manufactured.
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
mechanical engineer. Diakité was awarded the Rolex Award
Rolex awards
The Rolex Awards is a series of biennial awards "aimed at fostering a spirit of enterprise around the world", promoted by the Swiss wristwatch company Rolex...
in 1996 for the invention. Fonio
Fonio
Fonio is the term for cultivated grains in the Digitaria genus. These are notable in parts of West Africa and one species in India. The grains are very small.-White fonio :...
is a staple crop in western Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Because the fonio grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
s are so small, it is difficult to remove the brittle outer shell. "For hundreds of years, African women have carried out the painstaking task of preparing fonio by pounding and threshing a grain and sand mixture with a pestle and mortar. After one hour of this tedious work, only two kilograms of fonio are available for consumption and fifteen liters of water are needed to remove the sand."The whole process has been reduced from a 1 hour job to a 6 minute job.
Diakité's solution was a 50 kg device that gently abrades the surface of the seed before passing through a rotating mechanism, which removes the husks.
This device is an example of appropriate technology
Appropriate technology
Appropriate technology is an ideological movement originally articulated as "intermediate technology" by the economist Dr...
, because of its ability to solve a significant problem in developing countries and the ease with which it can be manufactured.