PEARL MILLET
Pearl millet is a highly nutritious staple cereal grown and consumed in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The plant requires no irrigation and can grow in the harshest of conditions. Pearl Millet grows on a long stalk called a panicle. The edible grains are held tightly within fibrous florets that grow around the central stem.
THE PROBLEM
In sub-Saharan Africa, pearl millet is one of the few staple crops that can be grown. For thousands of years women have had the arduous task of threshing millet by repeatedly pounding using mortar and pestle and winnowing with large bowls. The process performed daily is so intensive that only the strongest women are suited for the task. Only one meal can be prepared per day.
THE SOLUTION
We are developing a compact, solar powered device that threshes and winnows pearl millet. We collaborated on our design with women farmers in Niger. The women found it to be fast and efficient. Our thresher will enable women to produce more meals per day without the tremendous toll on their bodies. Our plan is to build 50 threshers to distribute for feedback prior to mass production. We believe this will improve the lives of women and increase food security in a vulnerable region of the world.
FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY
Project Update 7.21.2017
We have a new prototype that we are eager to [...]
The Ant Farm thresher and Namibia 2015
We learned from the 2014 trip to Niger that the [...]
Niger 2015 Field Testing
Team members Susan Hanna and Roo Trimble were in Niger from November [...]
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