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| Sweet Sorghum Project |
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| Project Director |
| Scott Lacy, Yacouba Sangare |
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Project Number |
Total Cost (US$) |
Location |
CH09-09 |
$49.23 |
Dissan, Mali |
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Project Details
African Sky proudly launched a new collaboration with Engineers Without Borders at University of Califormia, Santa Barbara (EWB-UCSB). The professionals as well as the graduate and undergraduate engineering students from EWB-UCSB are partnering with the women's association of Dissan to develop a sweet sorghum press to express sorghum juice, from which molasses can be produced to sweeten and add nutritional value to household porridge. In 2009 African Sky worked with the women of Dissan to conduct preliminary variety testing to evaluate a half dozen types of sweet sorghum seed.
Sweet sorghum is a source of calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and antioxidents. Prior to the widespread manufacture of vitamins pills and smoothie supplements, US doctors sometimes prescribed sweet sorghum syrup as a home-style vitamin supplement.
During this first phase of variety testing, the women's association will identify the most vigorous and juice producing plants/seed. Meanwhile EWB-UCSB will design and create a prototype press. Eventually the Dissan women will test the press and assess whether or not sweet sorghum syrup production could be a worthwhile collective endeavor. |
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