Kibiro saltworks

Kibiro is a small fishing village in Uganda that lies on the south-eastern shore of Lake Albert. The residents of the village are incapable of producing their own agricultural products, and must depend on trade with other communities for most of their necessities, including such items as food, cloth, and firewood. Residents of Kibiro support themselves primarily through the production and trade of salt.

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Process

No record of the salt-production process exists prior to the reports of Europeans in the 1800s. The salt-production techniques described by early Europeans differ in many ways from the techniques employed by present-day Kibiro residents.

Today in Kibiro, water from hot springs flows over the area's salty soil, keeping it moist. Workers sprinkle dry earth over this, which draws the salt up from the earth. The soil is then collected and placed in a sieve that is situated over a large pot. Water is poured over the soil, and the water carries the salt into the pot. This solution is then boiled to produce salt.

It interesting to note that salt production in the area is done exclusively by women.