Promoting BSF technology as a sustainable alternative among farmers

4 September 2024

In their stride to promote sustainable agriculture practices among farmers, the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), a partner of the BSF for Bio Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability (BBEST) led by IITA, organized a workshop on rearing black soldier fly (BSF) in Kinshasa in DRC. The three-day training from 29 to 31 July aimed to equip agripreneurs to produce BSF and its larvae and incorporate it into quail, chicken, fish, and pig feed.

In his welcome address, Prof. Patrick Mafwila gave an overview of the chicken, fish, and pig feed and organic fertilizer value chain development using BSF-based urban biowaste processing in Ghana, Mali, Niger, and DRC, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), highlighting the various experiments carried out on animals including quails, chickens, fish, and pigs.

Joel Mangana highlighted the overall and specific objectives of the BBEST project. His presentation focused on BSF production, explaining to the participants the need for using organic waste in the fly's diet. He also specified the need to allocate space for the rearing, with all the possible equipment, including the black cages, the nesting boxes, mosquito nets, and shelves. He elaborated on the elements conducive to successful breeding, such as temperature, light, and the quality of the organic waste. He emphasized the fly's life cycle and the importance of rearing it.

The theoretical training was followed by a series of questions from the participants who visited the black soldier fly-rearing unit at UNIKIN.

On the second day of the training, three groups were formed around the three training modules. Toussaint Mabiala taught the first module on incorporating larvae meal in poultry feed, Pierrette Nzaba taught the module on using larvae meal in pig feed, and Pascal Kokota taught the module on the incorporation of larvae meal in fish feed. After the three theory modules, the beneficiaries practiced mixing larvae meal with pig, fish, and poultry feed.

Following the two days of theoretical sessions, each group discussed incorporating the larvae meal into pig, poultry, and fish feed.

Through the training, Antoine Roger Kadima Tshiyombo, an agripreneur, attested to the challenges of the high cost of animal feed. With the training provided by UNIKIN and the BBEST project, he could produce animal feed locally and reduce production costs.

According to Jaccard Ngania, "The training provided the needed answers to all the questions he had before attending the training and recommended to the organizers to provide such training throughout the country."

The five beneficiaries supported in various ways by the IITA BBEST project, namely, Aron Lukanu of the Coopérative Agricole de Centre de Kimbanseke (COOPACEK), Mpova Ewing of the Coopérative Agricole de Centre Maraicher de N'djili, (COOPACEN), Jean Rene Mangiba of the Association des Pisciculteurs pour le Développement au Congo, (APIDEC), Lipasa Ngandu of the Judith farm, and Stanis Kambula of the Kabala Kamesa Kalundi (KAMKA) farm shared their experiences on rearing black soldier fly and encouraged participants to adopt the rearing and mass production of the BSF.

The participants thanked the IITA BBEST project, UNIKIN, and NORAD. They asked for support from the IITA BBEST project to enable them to carry out their activities, as they understood the importance of black soldier fly rearing as a solution to the problem of the high cost of protein meals in the formulation of animal feed and organic fertilizer.

Contributed by Claude Bahati and Francisca Ocloo

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