Innovation

"DIMBALI"(which means helping in Wolof), named after the fruit "Dimb", better known scientifically as "Cordyla Pinnata", is a business to solve the problem of the invasion of a tree called DIMB in the village of "Ngayenne Sabakh in Senegal by transforming its fruits into flour for consumption, thus creating economic activity and a source of income, while fighting against malnutrition among infants, young children and the elderly of this community. The “Dimbali” project also provides training to local women's groups to produce and sell nutritional flour, creating economic opportunities and helping to support local communities. The project is part of a larger effort to promote sustainable agriculture and improve food security in Senegal and highlights the importance of local, community-led approaches to addressing complex issues such as malnutrition. The innovation emerged in the discovery of the nutritional qualities of the fruits of "Dimb", very effective in the fight against malnutrition. To solve these problems, the ESP Enactus team made a flour fortified with Dimb fruit, enriched with Baobab fruit flour and millet flour. Dimb-fortified flour contains more potassium than a banana, more calcium than milk, and more vitamin C than an orange.

Then the ESP Enactus team built a solar dryer capable of drying 20 kg of Dimb every 72 hours and completely protected from the infiltration of X-rays solar to preserve all the nutrients of the fruit.

Inspiration

The motivation for doing this innovation was to create something that no one has created in the past and have a positive impact on the Senegalese population. "In Senegal, we have many local resources, but people do not know how to transform them into food" (Ba, 2023). One of the key challenges facing many African countries is a lack of access to modern agricultural technologies and practices, which can limit the productivity and efficiency of agricultural systems. Also, many small-scale farmers in Africa face challenges related to limited access to markets, poor infrastructure, and climate change, which can further limit their ability to transform local resources into food.

Overall impact

The villagers have been able to learn new skills, such as accounting and sales techniques, and have been trained in the production of fortified flour made from the local fruit called “Dimb”. The fortified flour is high in vitamins and iron and is in high demand. As a result, the women have been able to increase their incomes and improve the nutrition of their families. The project has also helped to create jobs for young people and reduce the level of deforestation in the area.

Business benefit

The project has also created job opportunities for young people in the area, which can contribute to the local economy and help reduce unemployment. For example, thirty-six women produced 2,000 jars of flour for 750 FCFA/jar with an initial investment of 400 FCFA/jar, in two months, thus increasing their income by 700,000 FCFA for the 2 months.

Social and environmental benefit

In addition to addressing the issue of malnutrition, the Dimbali project was also motivated by a desire to promote sustainable agriculture and support local communities. By using locally grown crops and involving local women's groups in the production and distribution of the supplement, the project aimed to create economic opportunities and promote sustainable agriculture practices in the region. They succeeded by suppressing malnutrition in six villages and had different partnerships to help fight against poverty in the rural community.

Interview

Ahmadou Ba, Founder