Opinion: Why Africa Should Embrace Black Soldier Fly Farming
Piotr Barczak
ABSTRACT
Across Africa, organic waste continues to pile up in landfills and uncontrolled dumps, fuelling environmental and public health risks, while farmers grapple with soaring feed and fertiliser costs that threaten food production. Piotr Barczak of Africa Circular argues black soldier fly farming can help tackle both challenges by turning waste into valuable agricultural inputs.
• Mr Barczak is Circular Economy Programme Manager at Africa Circular, a non-profit advancing circular economy solutions on the continent. The organisation implemented the 2024–2026 BUGS project, which used black soldier fly technology to improve food security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and valorise organic waste in Uganda, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast.
• “The black soldier fly is nature’s recycler. During their larval stage, the insects consume large quantities of organic waste, converting it into two valuable agricultural products: larval biomass, a high-quality source of protein and fat for animal feed, and frass, the nutrient-rich residue that can be used to improve soil fertility and structure” he says.
