A socioeconomic survey of bambara processors in four selected communities in the Northern region of Ghana

Abstract

Socioeconomic surveys were conducted in four selected project communities in Northern Ghana to investigate the socioeconomic status of bambara processors, assess the marketing potential of processed products and most importantly, to establish the levels of all project performance indicators prior to the dissemination of high quality bambara flour (HQBF) technologies for impact tracking purposes. Bambara processing was found to be exclusively a female activity and a full-time job for most of the women interviewed. It is a trade which is passed on from generation to generation, most daughters taking over from mothers. Processing is on a limited scale, ranging between 1-10 bowls of bambara per day, and processing is done throughout the week (5-8 h a day). Koose, Tubom and Gaablee are popular foods prepared from bambara for sale. However, there is high degree of tribal diversity and variability in the preparation methods. These products are retailed directly to consumers. All food vendors process their own bambara flour to ensure good quality fresh flour. Bambara flour is not currently available on the market. Processors prefer the cream coloured big size and well dried bambara grains due to its taste, flour yield and end-product quality. A quick assessment of the processing/food preparation activities of the women revealed daily gross margins are highly variable and the factors affecting gross margin on the bambara processing activity include geographical location, cost of grain and other materials, quality of grain, level of patronage, scale of processing and management practices adopted by the processors. with the exception of processing levels, incomes and bambara recipes, all other performance indicators are starting from the zero-base. The following recommendations were made from the fidings of the study. That there is the need to consider all different methods of food preparation and come up with more standardized and widely accepted recipes. The project should also focus more on processors with entrepreneurial capacities, especially those who process more than 5 bowls a day and are more interested in adding profitable product lines to existing businesses or introducing variety of dishes to their main lines of operations. Cream coloured and big size grains should be used for HQBF production. HQBF for the supermarket should be packaged in a well labeled and attractive packaging material with adequate nutritional and utilization. Work on shelf life studies of bambara based products should be encouraged