Africa is the continent with the fastest-growing population in the world. The consequences are high rates of urbanization and an insatiable demand for food, especially for animal products. However, farmers often lack access to appropriate feed for their livestock, and fertilizer to increase their crop production.
Another serious implication of the rapid population growth is, that the production of waste is increasing drastically. With no functioning waste management strategy in place, cities such as Kampala, Uganda, are literally drowning in waste. The effects are severe, as the waste often remains within the communities where it clogs the sewage systems and poses a health hazard by providing breeding ground for pathogens and disease vectors. Furthermore, the untreated waste emits vast amounts of greenhouse gases which are extremely harmful to the environment.
Our solution addresses all of the aforementioned challenges. More than 80% of the waste generated in Kampala is organic waste and we feed this organic waste to larvae of the Black Soldier Fly. While feeding on it, the insect larvae reduce its mass by 70% within only 10 days. After this rearing period, the larvae which are rich in protein and fat are harvested and further processed. The resulting products are a valuable and sustainable protein feed for animal nutrition and rich insect fat that is used as feed additive or for soap production. Through this process, the organic waste is turned into a nutrient-rich compost which is used as an effective and affordable fertilizer.
Thereby, we offer Ugandan and East African farmers a high-quality source of protein feed, that is affordable and proven to improve the health and quality of production animals; as well as organic fertilizer that increases agricultural productivity. Compared to conventional waste-processing and agricultural-production methods, our system decreases the emission of greenhouse gases by 70%. Furthermore, we create meaningful jobs for Uganda’s youth along a sustainable and fully circular value chain.
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