Panning for salt in Benin and Brittany

The author describes the work of PIRATTES (Projet Intégré´de Recherches sur l'Améioration des Techniques Traditionelles d'Extraction de Sel), a project jointly directed by the Co-operative of Salt Producers in Guande (France), the Scientific And Technological Centre (Benin), and the French Volunteer Association (AFVP). The project, linking communities involved in salt-production in the North and the South, introduced new processes to Benin to avoid the major ecological and workers' health problems caused by traditional processes. Two years into the project, and it has expanded. The results obtained are encouraging, though marred slightly by the continued use of artificial materials.