Universities help insect-based meals and feed programs

AFRICA

Universities contribute to the expansion of insect-based food and feed in sub-Saharan Africa, which has economic, environmental and social benefits that could support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

These efforts come at a time when the importance of science for improved nutrition and food security was highlighted in dialogues in preparation for the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit in September 2021.

Various universities from Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have accepted the challenge and diverted resources to research into the potential of insects for food and feed systems.

In addition to addressing food security and nutrition challenges, the initiatives could also contribute to waste management.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, smallholders in Africa are experiencing a sharp rise in the price of animal feed. At the same time, malnutrition and food insecurity remain a serious problem in sub-Saharan Africa due to limited access to protein.

Scientists have now reiterated the importance of edible insects as an inexpensive alternative source of animal protein for humans and livestock because of their nutritional value and their efficiency in using food.

The black soldier fly

In Kenya, the breeding of black soldier flies (commonly known as BSF) is growing in importance. Some experts say this is a way to improve livelihoods as farmers struggle to overcome the effects of COVID-19.

The Rockefeller Foundation is supporting the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Kenya with a grant of US $ 600,000 to test business models for increasing insect-based feed for poultry and fish farming.

“We have been pioneers in this area of ​​research since 2013,” said Chrysantus Mbi Tanga, a senior scientist at ICIPE who specializes in insect research for food, feed and other uses, recently told University World News.

“We’ve been training farmers ever since,” he added, adding that they raise protein-rich maggots and insects on their farms.

“ICIPE has worked with many universities,” Tanga said, highlighting the central role higher education continues to play in improving food security and nutrition.

Participating universities include Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, University of Nairobi, Egerton University, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, University of Eldoret and Meru University of Science and Technology (Kenya), which Makerere University (Uganda) and the University of Pretoria (South Africa).

Others are Copperbelt University (Zambia), Hawassa University (Ethiopia) and Chinhoyi University of Technology (Zimbabwe).

Partnerships with farmers

Shem Ariwi is one of more than 2,000 smallholders in Kenya who have been trained to start insect-based businesses. He is determined to use insects as an alternative to overcome the rising cost of poultry feed.

For Ariwi, some help came from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (or JKUAT), which has been researching insects for food and feed systems since 2006.

“In poultry farming, the feed itself is a very large part of production costs and we have always looked for ways to reduce it,” he said recently, adding that JKUAT had trained him to breed insects that were used as animal feed will .

“They trained us and told us about the black soldier flies, which have much higher production yields than crickets,” explained Ariwi.

“Black soldier flies are extraordinary,” says Dr. Isaac Osuga, Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Animal Science at JKUAT, who, together with ICIPE, researched insects as protein feed additives for poultry, pigs and fish.

“In the feed industry,” he said, “the BSF is what I would call the king of all the other insects.” He said that it is also the easiest to grow because it thrives in normal conditions and only feeds on organic waste and is not a pest.

In recent years, JKUAT has supervised BSc, MSc and doctoral students together with ICIPE.

ICIPE researched more than 28 species of insects, including grasshoppers and crickets, before digging into the black soldier fly larvae as the best route.

Food safety standards

Studies conducted in Kenya and Uganda have shown that insects such as the black soldier fly and crickets can be safely fed to poultry without compromising food safety standards.

“This work began in 2013 when the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization began promoting the use of insects for human or animal feed,” said Osuga, who also works as an animal nutritionist.

The breeding of the black soldier fly also makes an enormous contribution to reducing food waste from the environment. Tons of food waste is now being reused to feed the larvae. The UN says that more than 1 billion tons of the food produced worldwide is lost or wasted every year.

Fish, pig and poultry farming are among the fastest growing agricultural subsectors in Africa. Tanga said this has helped improve household livelihoods and raise farmers’ income levels.

However, the use of expensive inputs such as fish and plants as feed ingredients threatens the survival of smallholders.

According to researchers, protein ingredients on the market such as soybean and fish meals are not only expensive to produce, but their production cycles can also have a major negative impact on the environment.

“That is quite understandable,” says the Cameroon-born scientist, “because of the competition for human nutrition and [the fact that] Arable land and water are dwindling dramatically due to climate change. “

In addition, there is also overfishing in the oceans.

“And so there is a shortage of fish that has caused the prices of these important sources of protein to go up,” noted Tanga.

Ready-to-eat grasshopper

According to ICIPE, the collaboration proposes to improve income generation, food and nutrition security through the development of insect-based feed for sustainable, safe and inexpensive poultry and fish production.

In Uganda, Makerere University tested a ready-to-eat grasshopper product and the result has shown tremendous demand. According to Tanga, ICIPE has worked with Makerere University on insects for food and feed for the past seven years.

“Higher education should continue to promote research, build collaborative networks with research organizations and partners from the private sector to support skills development,” advised Tanga.

The ICIPE-led initiative has entered its second phase, which includes building up and finding market links that benefit farmers. So far, Tanga said, more than 11,000 farmers across Africa have received training through other donor funds, adding that plans to expand into several countries, including Rwanda, are underway.

Impact taken into account

The various initiatives and their economic, ecological and social effects were part of the discussions about the UN Food Systems Summit and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The potential economic impact could stem from insect businesses that generate income through small and medium-sized businesses in the mass breeding of insects and insect-based food processing by youth and women.

Insect-based agribusinesses also serve to improve national and regional trade balances by reducing imports and possibly increasing exports, thus contributing to SDG1 (no poverty); SDG8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).

In terms of environmental pollution, insects convert waste or feed into valuable biomass more efficiently than livestock. The substitution of meat with insect protein would help to reduce the environmental pollution of water and land compared to animal production due to overexploitation and habitat change and thus contribute to SDG12 (responsible consumption and production); SDG13 (climate protection), SDG14 (life under water) and SDG15 (life on land).

The initiative can also have a societal impact as it contributes to food and nutrition security by increasing the quantity and quality of food, reducing poverty by creating decent jobs; and even narrow the gender gap by empowering women and youth.

Consequently, according to the researchers, it can also help achieve SDG2 (zero hunger); SDG5 (gender equality) and pillar 3 (increasing food supply and reducing hunger) of the comprehensive African agricultural development plan and also the first goal of the African Agenda 2063, a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.