
In October, a group of motivated people joined and formed a group called APRO-ECO (Association for the Protection of the Ecosystem). This association was specifically created to manage the production of rice-straw based charcoal briquettes.
Now, ENVODEV is working closely with APRO-ECO to develop a sustainable plan of action. Some of the tasks at hand include finding a strategy for collecting rice-straw around the Moundou area. The amount of communication with local rice cultivators is huge, yet indispensable. Volunteers of APRO-ECO must spend time explaining to farmers the benefits of handing the rice-straw to APRO-ECO instead of burning it in the fields. ENVODEV is encouraged to see the local community pitch in time and energy to collect the huge amount of rice-straw left in the fields.