Actual Conditions and Challenges of Rice Parboiling in Burkina Faso: A Case Study on Rural Women’s Activities in Bama

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine through a field survey the actual conditions and challenges of rural women engaged in rice parboiling in Burkina Faso. The paper shows the traditional gender relations and the important role that women play in regional economy and in raising their livelihood through the rice parboiling activity. Furthermore, the paper points out the important problems that women face in future development. It also shows the importance of women’s livelihood improvement strategy utilizing their own knowledge, especially the processing technology, which represents an effective mean for rural development in the future. The paper finally reveals that it is indispensable to raise the awareness of rural women on the product quality and marketing for further development of rice parboiling.