Mbala Pinda

In the Republic of Congo, 70 percent of food consumption is reliant on the country's imports system. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, there was a disruption in the supply chain that led to a price increase of over 20 percent on the Congolese basic food basket during the lockdown period. This has triggered an economic and food crisis, loss of incomes and increased food insecurity in the country. COVID-19 had major impacts on producers, especially agricultural producers with women representing 60 percent of local agricultural workers. In 2020, school closures have also deprived students from having a daily, nutritious school meal for more than six months.

The project aims to mitigate these impacts on the economy, nutrition and health of populations by supporting the empowerment of the local food system.

Mbala Pinda is a very popular traditional and nutritious snack in the Republic of Congo. It is made with cassava and peanuts and wrapped in cassava leaves. The Mbala Pinda project works towards the organisation and safe production of Mbala Pinda by 1) training  cooperatives in food safety and hygiene; 2) upskilling in how to operate commercial equipment; and 3) connecting women producers with a set market to supply schoolchildren and the urban consumer.

The project team plans to place the product on the market with a competitive price; one unit is sold at US$ 0.18. The project has a 20 percent projected increase in revenues for cooperatives. It aims to train 160 women cassava producer-processors structured into 16 Mbala Pinda cooperatives, benefiting 4,610 school children daily and 3,390 vulnerable people at household level.