"BioStar aims to improve the energy supply of small and medium-sized agribusinesses in West Africa, by converting their residues into heat, motive power or electricity," explains the project coordinator, Joel Blin.
According to him, it will contribute to the establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas, as close as possible to agricultural production to limit the transport of raw materials, and thus, post-harvest losses and generate employment.

Five agri-food sectors have been selected to promote the emergence of a bio-energy sector in rural areas. These are cashew nuts, shea nuts, rice, mango and groundnuts.

"They were chosen according to their economic importance in the target countries, the massive involvement of women in these sectors and also because they are the subject of national strategies for their sustainable development. In addition, for all these sectors, the transformation of the agricultural product into a food product requires energy and generates residues that are little or not valorized today. Thus, agri-food processing SMEs in these five sectors will be selected at the beginning of the project to introduce a bio-energy technology that will enable them to convert their agri-food residues into energy," reads the press kit.

The introduction of these bio-energy innovations in these SMEs should make it possible to secure their energy supplies and thus make them self-sufficient in their hulling, drying, extraction and steaming processes, etc.

BioStar therefore plans to promote the sustainable development of agri-food processing SMEs in rural areas through innovation in the production of sustainable bio-energy, the optimization of food processing, and the emergence of a bio-energy sector.

The implementation of the project is structured around three key steps which are, the identification and mobilization of experimental SMEs in the selected sectors, the adaptation and experimentation with sixteen selected SMEs of different prototypes of bio-energy equipment, and the development of a new bio-energy system.According to the General Delegate of the National Centre for Bioenergy, the project will be implemented in three key stages: the identification and mobilization of experimental SMEs in the selected sectors, the adaptation and testing of various prototypes of energy production equipment from agri-food residues with sixteen selected SMEs, and the identification and promotion of conditions conducive to the appropriation of these innovative solutions by the SMEs concerned and the companies in the bioenergy sector.

According to the General Delegate of the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST), Professor Roger Nébié, who presided over the official launching ceremony, the observation is that many residues are not used, even though they have an energy potential. The project tackles one of the essential links in the industry, namely the energy sector," he said. "Working to remove the energy constraints, using everything that is rejected from this industry to produce bio-energy, which is going to be fed back into this industry. Knowing the energy cost of an SME or an industry, tackling this issue and proposing innovative solutions will really bring a plus to SMEs in Burkina," says Pr Nébié.

"Bringing a real plus to SMEs in Burkina

"This project is a perfect illustration of scientific research that wants to have an impact on economic and social development for the benefit of populations. This research is based on quality partnerships between all the actors involved. The keys to the success of such a project lie in the trust between institutions, the complementarity of skills and the strong synergies between African and European partners grouped together in the BioStar consortium.The keys to the success of such a project lie in trust between institutions, complementary skills and strong synergies between African and European partners grouped together in the BioStar consortium," says Michel Eddi, President and Director General of the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD).

According to him, this is a project that will mobilize many players, with its strong regional ambition. "It's a technical, scientific and organisational step up that we must succeed in. This project has the characteristics of the situation we are experiencing, I think, in the region and in the zone, with a research capacity of CNRST, ISRA in Senegal (Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research), theI think that we are living in the region and in the zone, with the capacity of the CNRST, ISRA in Senegal (Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research), the Thomas Sankara University, the 2iE, the CIRAD and the European cooperation to set up large-scale projects, with big funding, because the problems we are tackling are big and huge problems. So we have to change the chain. It's the same job that we do, but with an even greater level of ambition and organisation. This is what will change the situation on the ground for the benefit of the people," says Michel Eddi.

For the chargé d'affaires of the European Union delegation, José Luis Sanchez Alegré, this innovative approach is in line with the priority areas of the European Union in Burkina Faso, including the "green and resilient economy".

"Indeed, the objective of this priority area is to contribute to sustainable, inclusive and employment-generating green growth for youth and women through the harmonious integrated development of sustainable economic activities, particularly at the agrarian level.The objective of this priority area is to contribute to sustainable, inclusive and employment-generating green growth for young people and women through the harmonious integrated development of sustainable economic activities, particularly at the agri-food level, at the territorial level," notes José Luis Sanchez Alegré, representing the European Union ambassador to Burkina Faso.
The director of the French Development Agency, Gilles Chausse, stresses that this project is at the crossroads of the great ambitions that his institution has throughout the world, in terms of climate and social links, where research is truly at the service of sustainable development.

Coordinated by the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD, France), the project brings together a consortium of partners from West Africa and Europe. These are the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE), the Institute for Research in Applied Sciences and Technology (IRSAT), Thomas Sankara University (UTS), the French non-governmental organization Nitidae, the French NGO Nitidae, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the French Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food.aise Nitidae, the Institut sénégalais de recherches agricoles (ISRA), the Université Gaston Berger (UGB, Senegal), the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart, Germany), the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), and the University of Rome Tre (Italy).

The BioStar project has a regional focus: it is taking place in Burkina Faso and Senegal and dissemination activities will be carried out in Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Niger.
With a budget of seven billion CFA francs (including more than six billion from the European Union), the project will run from 2020 to 2025.

Source: lefaso.net