| Summary: | The September 2025 assessment in Kisumu County, Kenya, examined operational challenges affecting IWMI’s Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Production Facility and private BSF farms, with the goal of identifying improvements in efficiency, waste sourcing, and productivity.
The study found that structural design strongly influences climate regulation, larval performance, and space use. While greenhouse and iron-sheet structures posed problems with temperature and ventilation, block structures with transparent roofs provided better production conditions. Substrate quality was another key factor: mixed organic waste supported good larval growth, but poor blending, especially of wet and dry waste, caused anaerobic conditions and higher mortality. Biochar proved effective for odor, moisture, and pest control. Waste sourcing remained a major constraint, particularly for rural farmers with limited access to diverse, low-cost waste streams, while urban farmers benefited from proximity to waste suppliers.
Inadequate storage and preprocessing systems, especially for high-moisture waste, created inefficiencies. Standardized feeding practices, such as weighing substrates and optimizing larval density, improved conversion rates, unlike volume-based methods commonly used by farmers. Mortality was linked to poor substrate quality, overcrowding, and environmental stress. Labor
inefficiencies, high staff turnover, and a lack of records further affected performance.
The study highlights strategies to improve facility design, waste sourcing, substrate handling, labor organization, and technical capacity. It recommends research on biochar effectiveness, simplified feeding systems, optimal combinations of waste, nutrient-enriched cow dung, and improved community acceptance of fecal-based substrates. With proper training and support, BSF farming can significantly advance sustainable waste management, livestock feed security, and organic fertilizer production in Kenya.
|
|---|