Black soldier fly larvae as sustainable animalfeed ingredient in Kenya

Summary:

Fly larvae as sustainable feed component for smallholder farmers in Kenya
Pig, poultry and fish farming are among the fastest growing agribusiness activities in East Africa, but high cost of major feed protein ingredients including fishmeal hampers profitability and growth of smallholder production. This thesis explores the potential of the black soldier fly (BSF) as a novel feed ingredient in Kenya. Promoting inclusive business for smallholder farmers through insect farming in agribusiness value chain has been discussed. Farmers’ knowledge and willingness to use insect-based feed have been assessed. Larvae of BSF were reared on agro-industrial by-products composed of brewers’ spent grains, brewer’s yeast and molasses, and have subsequently been fed to pigs. The results show that farmers are aware of insects as feed and are willing to use insect-based feed. Fishmeal has been replaced up to 100% with BSF larvae in pig feed, demonstrating that these larvae are a suitable and economically viable alternative to fishmeal, with a beneficial return on investment.