Bioconversion of Organic Residues for Rural Communities (UNU, 1979): Perspectives on bioconversion of organic residues for rural communities: Introduction

Bioconversion of Organic Residues for Rural Communities (UNU, 1979)

Perspectives on bioconversion of organic residues for rural communities

		(introduction...)
		Introduction
		Sources of available nutrients
		The most suitable materials for bioconversion
		Characteristics of residues
		Bioconversion systems
		Physical and chemical treatments
		Microbial conversion
		The animal conversion phase
		Summary
		References

Introduction

The shortage of food in the world recently prompted the Director General of FAO, Edouard Saouma, to reiterate the special need for food in densely populated rural areas of developing countries (1). We need new food sources, and we should not restrict ourselves to increasing supplies of existing ones to meet this demand (2). In our attempts to develop these potentials we should, however, avoid theoretical overkills (3).

In this paper, I shall try to take these points into account while studying the question of whether new sources can be tapped to a significant extent, and whether these new rural sources can provide food that is affordable, whole some, and acceptable organoleptically. In view of the latter point, I would like to emphasize that, especially in rural areas, consumers are extremely critical. This is by no means limited to developing countries only. In the Netherlands, too, children are taught, "What a farmer is not familiar with, he does not eat."