Burkinabe women design an innovative, sustainable business model

Challenges

• Rice production in Burkina Faso is threatened by climate change, and the volumes of rice harvested are not stable. Rice is also the country’s most imported cereal, and growing demand makes it hard to reach self-sufficiency and food security. The National Rice Development Strategy II (2021-2030) aims to reach 3 million tonnes of rice production by 2030.
• Nearly half of all rice produced is parboiled, a process traditionally led by women. However, they face poor infrastructure, limited capital, low product quality and a lack of business support:
  
  • Rice producers are not willing to sell their rice to the parboilers on trust. They want to be paid immediately but women parboilers rarely have access to working capital, so they can only buy small quantities of rice at once.
  • Women parboil most of their rice at home, as the collective parboiling centres do not have sufficient capacity. However, rice parboiled at home has a lower quality, as women do not have the capital to buy the necessary equipment.
  • Women parboilers often have weak entrepreneurial skills: they are not aware of the rice market, prices, bookkeeping skills, etc.
• The National Union of Cooperative Rice Parboiling Societies of Burkina (UNERIZ) does not have a brand name or recognisable packaging for its rice, which makes it difficult to launch a marketing campaign and gain consumer recognition.
  

The results

Rikolto has been working together with UNERIZ since 2011 to strengthen the position of women parboilers in the Burkinabe society and increase their income. A 2024 social return on investment (SROI) analysis showed that the franchise model delivers over twice the value in social, economic and environmental benefits compared to what it costs to implement.

The franchise: from 40 pioneers to 500 franchisees

• UNERIZ now represents 7,000 of the country’s 16,000 Burkinabé parboilers in the country (source). The network of franchisee has grown from 40 pioneers in 2017 to 500 franchisees in 2025.
• In 2025 UNERIZ injected more than 2.2 billion CFA francs (€3.4 million) into the local economy, processing over half of the national paddy production and bringing more than 9,300 tonnes of parboiled rice to market.
• UNERIZ has grown into a solid business partner. It obtained investment from Kampani for the development of the Finishing and Distribution Centre and received new complete processes line from the government, raising its production capacity from 8 to 15 tonnes per day.
• Financial institutions now see UNERIZ as a reliable, trusted borrower that consistently repays its loans. As Issaka Lingani of Coris Bank Bobo explains: “Supporting women entrepreneurs who are members of UNERIZ is fully in line with the bank’s objective of helping SMEs become a lever for Burkina Faso’s economy.”

The franchisees: higher profits, more jobs

• Franchisee pabroielrs net profits have almost doubled, driven by better market access and a 14% increase in the selling price.
• Investment in stainless steel and solar dryers have raised their production by 80%, halved processing time and improved quality.
• Each woman has created two job opportunities for other women in her community.

Better rice, better prices, all along the chain

• Around 31% of the paddy processed by UNERIZ comes from National Union of Rice Producers (UNPRB) farmers who apply the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Standard and receive a higher price in return.
• SRP-compliant rice improves the quality of parboiled rice, which now sells for up to two-and-a-half times the previous price.
• Women parboilers support producers through equipment, advance payments and partial financing of farming activities.

Stronger voice and a seat at the table

• UNERIZ now sits on an equal footing with men in strategic bodies such as the Interprofessional Committee for Rice in Burkina (CIRB). It contributes to the work of the Confédération Paysanne du Faso (CPF) and is a founding member of the National Rice Observatory (ONaRiz).
• In 2024, UNERIZ’s advocacy secured a specific floor price of 500 CFA francs for parboiled rice, compared with 400 CFA francs for white rice. Until then, parboiled rice had sold at the same price as white rice despite requiring significantly more labour.
• In February 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture provided parboilers in Douna with milling equipment to improve the quality of the final product.