By Otai James
The World Bank estimates Uganda’s current population to be around 46 million, and the National Planning Authority projects that by 2025, Uganda’s population will have grown to between 50 million and 106 million by 2050.
While the population continues to increase, land remains constant. Population pressure on land for settlement and agricultural production occurs concurrently. This calls for effective planning if issues of food security in the country are to be addressed. Insects come in as the game changer.
Insects are key players in the existence of nature and the life of man in particular. 75% of the crops we grow require pollination by some type of insect, usually the bee, but sometimes pollination is delivered by bees, beetles, flies, wasps, and butterflies, among others. Insects also have functions;
- Are natural bio-waste decomposers?
- They recycle nutrients
- Disperse seeds
- Maintain the soil structure and fertility
It is projected that by 2030, the global economy of edible insects will be around $8 billion. Countries like Uganda ought to strategically place themselves to tap into this economy. The 2019 Corona virus pandemic destroyed the food value chain, creating the need to put food security at the core. Research indicates that insects can effectively replace traditional feed sources like soy and fish meal.
Edible insects have been part of man and remain core to supplementing our diets. In the case of Uganda, we have traditionally enjoyed protein from Rusporia deferens, locally known as Ensene, Masaka’s iconic delicacy and symbol. Similarly, there are ants (Enswa), crickets (Amayenje), grasshoppers (Amayanzi), and palm oil weevils (Amasinnya) for the islanders from Kalangala district. The insect-based feed industry is developing so rapidly around the world. Efforts to develop alternative protein sources have dominated discussions the world over. Black Soldier Flies (BSF) seem to be the game changer in providing much-needed protein for poultry, piggery, and aquaculture. With a short life cycle for production, BSF larvae have a dry weight of about 50% of crude protein and up to 35% lipids (fats). The fly does not carry disease when playing its natural role of decomposing organic waste, which remains a huge challenge for many urban areas of Uganda. BSF larvae secrete a semiochemical (info-chemical) that keeps away other species of flies, especially house flies, and other disease-causing microorganisms.
According to Proteen Ltd., one of the large-scale producers of BSF-larvae, a kilogram of BSF-larvae costs $1100. Comparable with a kilogram of soy bean and a kilogram of mukene that cost 3000 and 5000 yuan, respectively, BSF-larvae are the new gold for poultry, piggery, and fish farmers. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Annual Agricultural Survey of 2019, there are about 47 million chickens, with 88% being local. BSF-Larvae feed largely on liquid organic waste, but local and large-scale farmers get challenged with constant animal waste supply and sorting large bio-waste, respectively. The government should prioritize investing in up-scaling black soldier fly production technology to increase productivity in the poultry sector, save costs, and add value to bio-waste management in urban centers.
