Technical production system of « bili-bili », a traditional sorghum beer: Territorial variability of practices and valorization perspectives

The diagnosis of the technical production system of « bili-bili », a fermented drink made from sorghum, in the consumption space of the of Northern Cameroon savannah, was conducted by a survey in 365 production structures distributed in the cities of Maroua, Garoua and Ngaoundere, with the aim of defining both the constraints of local practices and the innovations needs. The study shows that « bili-bili » production is an exclusively female and ethnic activity, carried mainly by the Toupouri (34%), Moundang (29%) and Laka (21%) tribes. The organized or spontaneous migrations of these tribes to the fertile lands of Adamawa have led to a diffusion of the technical production practices of the drink in a north-south trajectory with territorial adaptations of the process and related tools. Four variants of the production process have been identified with innovation needs that converge mainly on the need for optimization and control of the main unit operations involved.