- Full Belly Project
The Full Belly Project Ltd is a
non-profit organization based out ofWilmington, North Carolina , which designs labor-saving devices to improve the lives of people indeveloping countries . At present, one of their primary objectives is to increase the cost effectiveness ofpeanut agriculture as a means ofsustainable development in those countries, through the development of affordableappropriate technology . There are an estimated half billion people across the globe in over 100 countries, primarily in the equatorial regions and particularly in Africa, dependent upon peanuts as their primary source of protein. Peanuts play a greater role in developing countries and offer multiple ancillary benefits:
*Soil conservation (aslegume s, peanuts nitrify soil, while their complex root system prevents erosion);
*Animal feedstock (peanuthay , the upper portion of the peanut plant, can be fed to livestock);
*Fuel briquettes (compressed peanuthulls ) ;
*Foodstuffs (shelled peanuts, peanut flour,peanut butter ); and
*Increase incash crops (peanuts themselves can be sold, butnitrification increases growth of other crops likemaize andcotton ).The Universal Nut Sheller
The major
limiting factor for growing peanuts has always been the time- and labor-intensive process of hand-shelling peanuts, a job usually relegated to women and children. Overcoming this technical obstacle has been a goal of agricultural research for some years. When Dr. T. Williams, Senior Research Scientist atUniversity of Georgia and an expert on all 15,000cultivar s of peanuts, was first approached byJock Brandis , the project's engineer, he stated that an affordable peanut sheller is considered the "holy grail ofsustainable development ". The final design for the machine was completed in January 2005, and has come to be known as theUniversal Nut Sheller . This relatively small, hand-powered device made from two pieces ofconcrete and a handful of metal pieces is able to shell at a rate of 50 kg of peanuts an hour. On average an individual woman or child can hand shell 1.5 kg of peanuts in a single hour. Furthermore, one set offiberglass molds can reproduce an indefinite number of machines. Raw materials for the machine include only half a sack ofconcrete and a few metal parts, which cost less than $50 US per machine. Maintenance is nearly zero, and a machine's lifespan is estimated at twenty years.Distributing technology
Presently the organization is collaborating with like-minded development organizations in an effort to target areas most in need of this sustainable technology. Since finishing the final design of the Universal Nut Sheller, The Full Belly Project has distributed machines in
Uganda ,Liberia ,Côte d'Ivoire ,Ghana ,Zambia and thePhilippines . Studies in the field have shown that one machine is capable of processing 15 tons per month. With a few manual adjustments the machine is also capable of shellingwinged beans ,neem seeds(from neem trees, "Azadirachta indica ", also known asmargosa ),jatropha curcas , wet and driedcoffee , andshea . All of these seeds/nuts are lucrative once they have been processed. Most cultivation of these crops occurs in developing countries. Machines like theUniversal Nut Sheller add value to these crops and instantly improve the lives of those who use these labor-saving devices.Impact on women
This technology is particularly empowering for women in that it relieves them of the burden of hand-shelling
jatropha curcas ,shea ,coffee andpeanuts . Women provide the majority of agricultural labor, and with the time saved by this machine, would have the opportunity to dedicate themselves to other obligations. Collection of firewood, a chore often left to children, can be greatly reduced by the simple processing of shelled peanut hulls intofuel briquettes .ee also
*
Universal Nut Sheller
*Appropriate technology
*Peanut
*Jock Brandis
*Jatropha curcas External links
* [http://www.fullbellyproject.org Full Belly Project Website]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1565127948431227195&q=full+belly+project Video of Universal Nut Sheller in Uganda]*
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