Nairobi (Kenya), July 2021. We are very pleased to able to share that Ecodudu was included in a very interesting and timely podcast hosted by Ms. Sophie Mbugua. That Podcast has been summarized in her article in Africa Climate Conversations.
Ms. Mbugua told the story of how our company is helping John Mwaura Kiriko, a businessperson from Kikuyu, Kenya, to transition his business to a more sustainable model. According to Ms. Mbugua, Mr. Kiriko engages in fish farming, using artificial raised ponds. To feed his fish, he turned to for guidance, training, and actual black soldier flies (BSFs). With Ecodudu’s help, Mr. Kiriko has learned to feed the flies with organic waste from farms and nearby markets, which enables him to rear literally tons of larvae to feed his approximately 5,500 fish. Aqua culture is only one way that Ecodudu works with farmers. We also provide training and inputs for farmers interested in working with Ecodudu as outgrowers and are exploring BSF productions using a variety of waste streams.
Helping farmers like Mr. Kiriko is just one aspect of our company’s business. At Ecodudu we believe in applying a circular economy approach to creating alternative protein and agricultural inputs by utilizing Black Soldier Fly (BSL) larvae to convert organic waste into nutritious and protein-dense biomass for animal feed and high-quality organic fertilizer. This production process is a much more environmentaly-friendly alternative to traditional protein sources for animals, such as soy. Additionally, this process offers solutions for processing various organic waste sources in urban areas. Ecodudu currently focuses on animal feed and fertilizer production, but anticipates producing alternative protein for human consumption in the near future.
The greenhouse raised pond technology used by Mr. Kiriko uses relatively little land freeing it up for other use, such as for agricultural crops or housing space. According to Bernard Kamau, an agribusiness expert and fisheries technician with the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya, “The greenhouse farming raised pond technology is ideal for producing food for rising populations using smallest [amount of] available land.” Solutions like these that enable the increasing the economic productivity in urban and peri-urban areas will be increasingly important with the increasing population and ubanization rates in Africa.
This is just one example of applying principles of circular economy with Black Soldier Fly larvae. Ecodudu is proud to be able to empowers farmers like Mr. Kiriko to produce supplemental fish feed to keep his fish well fed.
If you are interested in working with Ecodudu, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@ecocudu.com.