Ditching Depletion
Nuisance Organic Waste Offers Farmers Better Fertilizer, And Feed Deal
Written by: Rhonet Atwiine. Photography by Richard Mugambe
Monday, October 7, 2024
Shakur Kayondo, 44 has been a fisherman on Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake on the continent for about a decade. He has been primarily dealing in Silverfish, highly demanded in Uganda for human consumption and livestock.
However, the high coupled with other weather and climate conditions have dwindled his catch and frustrated business.
“Before, there was an abundance of silverfish. Now, when I cast my nets, I get very few. When we overfish, there comes a time when silverfish become scarce. You invest money and end up losing it,” Kayondo says.
Solomon Muhangi has been Kayondo’s silverfish consumer for at least five years, and always relied on it to raise pigs and poultry birds as his main source of income for his family.
The current silverfish prices have pushed him in a different direction.
“You may have money, but you can’t find the feed … yet poor feeding is costly to a farmer like me. You end up with animals that aren’t growing,” he says.
He has shifted from the fish to soldier fly larvae, which are produced from organic food waste.
The team from Marula Proteen takes a pause from organic waste delivered at their plant outside Kampala.
The idea is being pioneered by Marula Proteen Limited, a social enterprise aiming to enhance farmers’ economic prospects by providing them with an alternative feed to silverfish.
Known as the Black Soldier Flies (BSF), the insects have the capacity to turn organic waste into crop fertilizers, and animal feeds seamlessly
These maggots are not only good for the environment, but are a solution to the increasingly expensive animal feed that is driving most farmers out of business.
The process!
Black soldier farming is the process of raising black soldier flies for consumption. The process for the production of the feeds and fertilizers from BSF starts with breeding flies and egg-laying,
A black soldier fly breeding space set up at Marula Proteen.
Joseph Luwabi, the production manager at the plant explains that at this stage, the black soldier flies are bred from fermenting organic waste, which is in constant supply because of the poor crop harvest handling.
Generally, in just Uganda alone, up to 45% of fruit and vegetables end up being discarded. The largest part of the waste comes from household, restaurants, farms, grocery and distribution, food service and manufactures.
The flies produce eggs, which are then collected and placed in containers for incubation. But, mating and laying of eggs occurs in the cages, which are either metallic or wooden covered with a net.
“The eggs are laid in one specific location in the cage for ease of harvesting. We place the eggs close to an attractant of a decomposing matter producing a pungent smell that attracts the female BSF to come and deposit them,” he adds.
After, the eggs are then collected from the cages at an interval of 2-3 days and are placed in hatching containers filled with a high quality food source.
Once the eggs hatch to a larvae, it is raised in a controlled environment with adequate food, moisture, and temperature to support their growth and development.
When the larvae reach the desired size and maturity, they are harvested from the production system. Here, the BSF are harvested when they are beige in colour before turning black. Harvesting is done by sieving, or using automated devices.
“The harvested larva undergoes various processing steps, such as cleaning, drying, and grinding, to produce different products, such as feeds, oil, fertilizers, or whole larvae. However, it must meet certain standards of quality and safety before they can be used as animal feed,” explains Lusabi as packs the feeds.
The larvae being prepared ahead of processing
After harvesting, the BSF larvae is sold out to farmers. A kilogramme full-fat meal at Shs4,000 and defatted one at Shs4,500 a kilogramme. In addition, organic fertilizer is also sold at Shs800 a kilogramme.
Farmers like Muhangi, feed this larvae to his chickens and pigs because of its high protein and nutrition source.
“Ever since I started feeding my pigs with this feed, I have registered a big change especially in the size of the animals. Before, I used to sell my pigs at Shs200,000 but now, i sell them between Shs400,000 to 500,000. I make a lot of profits and they grow faster,” he shares.
The organic fertilizers obtained from black soldier fly farming is transformed into a compost that can be directly utilized on the farm. This is used by farmers for its rich in NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) which highly contribute to the growth of crops.
Processed larvae being prepared for the market.
Impact
Since its inception, the initiative has organized about 20 outreach programs, where over 674 farmers have received tailored training in collecting and processing food waste to serve their farm needs.
This is done through farmer group enterprises which are formed in communities to help them advance their farming techniques yet, using the available raw materials like food.
“Even though I dont have money, I can still feed my chicken and pigs because I am now able to make my own feeds from home which I previous didnt know. I would end up stressing and spending much money,” says Dorcas Nanteza, a farmer at Wakiso District.
Besides training, the black soldier fly comes with employment opportunities. At this plant over 10 youths are employed at different stages of fertilizer and feed production.
“We are engaging women from Kiteezi to separate food waste from other types of waste, which we purchase at a rate of Shs200 per kilogram. Additionally, our workforce includes individuals dedicated to egg collection, hatching, larvae feeding, equipment manufacturing, and production of livestock feeds from BSF,” Luswabi shares.
Because the demand for animal feeds goes beyond Uganda to global level, these feeds are sold locally to feed mixers and poultry farmers for both local consumption and export.
However, Luswabi notes that the journey to turning waste into cash is fraught with challenges.
Many people believe this is a dirty job because maggots are at the center of the process. Additionally, the prospect of dealing with rotten food deters many people.
Despite these challenges, Muhangi remains hopeful. His ability to feed his animals with the best alternative keeps him smiling and progressing.
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