Kampala & Kayunga, July 19 (IPS) – Conflict in Ukraine has sent fertilizer prices up in Uganda and neighboring Kenya. Amid shortages, some farmers are turning to a more sustainable way to enrich their soil using manure from Black Soldier Flies.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the Marula Proteen Hub, based in Kayunga, central Uganda, lobbied farmers to produce Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae. But many people, especially the elderly, were hesitant.
“I wonder what they would think about me raising maggots? However, some are accepted. So they kept those maggots for us to feed our livestock and now, quality fertilizer,” said Abbey Lubega, director of the Marula Proteen Hub in Kangulumira County.
About a thousand farmers in Kayunga have been mobilized to raise maggots, which they sell to the center for cash or in exchange for organic fertilizer.
“Farmers have waste on their farms. So we give them a BSF system to feed the larvae. We also feed them five-day-old larvae. The larvae feed on waste collected from the home. After eight days, they either sell us the adult larvae or feed the cattle. There is also that option. Then they keep the fertilizer for their garden,” said Lubega in an interview with IPS
“What farmers are looking for, in addition to this larval income, is fertilizer produced on their farm. They can produce any quantity they want. It’s fast, it’s reliable,” explains Lubega
The Marula Proteen Hub is located underneath a pineapple and jackfruit processing plant to harvest the waste generated as feedstock for larval rearing. A pungent smell of ammonia fills the air as one enters the larval brooding area, where the five-day-old larvae feed on waste.
“These larvae are eating. They are defecating. The ammonia you are smelling is coming from decomposition,” explains Lubega
Harriet Nakayi lives in Namakandwa Parish, 75 kilometers east of Uganda’s capital Kampala. She is one of the few women in the area trained to sustainably produce black soldier fly larvae as animal protein and fertilizer for their crops.
With his three-year-old daughter by his side, Nakayi scooped larvae from black barrels and poured them over a metal mesh to separate them from the decaying brown matter that looked like humus. The larvae are about to be brought to the focal point for sale. The fibrous and compost material is ready to fertilize in her coffee, vanilla and banana garden.
She told IPS that manure from BSF is much easier to apply than manure.
“This manure does not burn the tree. So unlike manure where you have to wait a while, you can bring it right out into the garden,” Nakayi said.
Like Nakayi, Solomon Timbiti Wagidoso, a pineapple farmer, said he has fertilized one of his gardens with BSF and their growth seems to indicate a better harvest.
“The government says they will produce our fertilizer, but I am told that project is on hold. Now we are dependent on imported fertilizers whose costs are constantly increasing,” said Timbiti
According to Timbiti, fertilizer prices have increased since the end of 2020. The war in Ukraine is now exacerbating high prices.
By early April, fertilizer prices had more than doubled in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The three countries and the rest of East Africa depend on imports from Russia and Belarus.
Researchers in Uganda and Kenya found that the ‘composting process of black soldier flies takes 5 weeks compared with 8-24 weeks for conventional compost.
Frass, a by-product of BSF farming, has been found to contain large amounts of soil fertilizing nutrients. Lubega used her hand to scrape debris from one of the containers. The tiny maggots that were still crushing the waste now looked like fine humus.
“It’s almost powdery, as you can see. It was fine,” said Lubega. “Cow dung is good, but goat manure is better. Chicken is better than goat. So how about the smallest larvae. So we found that the smaller the animal, the better the poop.”
Lubega explained to IPS that Black Soldier Fly larvae can break down the substrate to provide nutrients to the plant.
“Inorganic fertilizers give you the nutrients your plants need, but organic fertilizers improve soil health. They reduce that dependency. If I buy inorganic fertilizers for this season, I have to come back and buy more for the next season. You will need to fertilize inorganic fertilizers throughout your life,” he added.
He said organic fertilizers are more suitable for smallholder farmers, like those in Kangulumira, who cannot afford inorganic fertilizers.
“And if you look at the cost-benefit analysis, why would I buy inorganic fertilizer if I need it all the time? It was no different than teaching me how to fish and feeding me fish,” added Lubega.
Rucci Tripathi, Resilient Livelihoods Lead Global Practice at international development charity VSO with offices in Uganda and several other countries, told IPS that a strategy for farmers and developing countries is needed to protect farmers from the current fertilizer, fuel and food price crisis .
Tripathi says there is a need to invest in supporting community initiatives for natural manure production, including feeding the soil through mulching crops such as hay and planting permanent crops. protein.
“This reduces farmers’ dependence on imported chemical fertilizers, which is good for farmers’ income and soil health. We see many such small-scale initiatives from Zimbabwe to Uganda to Kenya,” she said
Researchers at International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) revealed that applying insect bioconversion technology could recycle between two and 18 million tons of waste into compost worth about $9–85 million per year.
The researchers, including Dr Sevgan Subramanian, Dr Chrysantus Mbi Tanga and Denis Besigamukama, recently published a paper titled “Nutritional quality and maturation status of frass manure from nine types of insects.” can eat”.
They observed that while the use of organic fertilizers was acceptable and affordable for farmers, in sub-Saharan Africa was limited due to poor quality, production time time and limited organic matter on the farm.
“Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative sources of readily available, affordable and good quality organic fertilizers, such as insecticidal fertilizers,” they wrote.
Dr. Debora Ruth Amulenfounder of the Center for Insect Research and Development, based in Kampala, told IPS that there is a need to sensitize farmers to animal proteins and fertilizers made from BSF.
“It is very useful in our farms. It is also a useful tool for our environment. We have a lot of manure from cattle and livestock. They are generating a lot of greenhouse gases. Amulen, also a lecturer at Makerere University, explains:
“It is a very simple technology that even people who have not gone to school can apply. And it’s very effective. “
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