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Date released
31 July 2024

A delegation of leading scientists from Africa visited the Pacific in June to share knowledge about the benefits of insect farming for animal feed production and waste management.

The group from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) visited Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to raise awareness about the benefits of farming Black Soldier Flies (BSF) and scope the potential for insect farming in the Pacific.

ACIAR has been supporting icipe since 2014 to conduct research and develop novel edible insect-based technologies that can transform organic waste into nutrient-rich animal feed ingredients and organic fertiliser.

The long-running research has discovered innovative ways of utilising insects such as BSF to empower smallholder farmers and bring a transformative shift towards a more reliable, profitable and sustainable source of protein for livestock feed and crop fertiliser.

ACIAR Pacific Regional Manager Mai Alagcan said the visit by icipe was invaluable in demonstrating the viability of a low-cost circular economy solution to the waste and nutrition challenges commonly faced by the people of the Pacific region.

'Pacific island countries face significant sustainability challenges, especially in minimising organic waste and maximising agrifood system outputs,' said Ms Alagcan. 

Insects show great potential in meeting these challenges and this circular technology could help unlock the constraints to livestock production and waste management. 

Mai Alagcan
ACIAR Pacific Regional Manager 

'By facilitating collaboration between icipe and Pacific researchers, scientists, policymakers, universities, farmers and the private sector, we hope that insect farming, particularly knowledge on BSF developed over many years can rapidly impact the Pacific on the largest scale possible.’

Dr Chrysantus M Tanga, Senior Scientist and Head of the Insects for Food, Feed and Other Uses Programme at icipe leads the ACIAR-supported project and said the research team was excited to share its findings with Pacific partners.

‘Over the last decade, we've shown how insects like the black soldier fly can help farmers turn food waste into nutrient-rich animal feed ingredients and fertiliser with minimal environmental impact,’ said Dr Tanga.

'The research has demonstrated that utilising insects for food, feed, fertiliser and other uses can transform food systems to become more sustainable. Insects have become increasingly vital to how the world sustainably feeds itself.’

Dr Chrysantus M. Tanga (right) from icipe examines food waste at a processing plant in Fiji.
Project leader from icipe, Dr Chrysantus M. Tanga (right), examines food waste at a processing plant in Fiji.
Roseanne Mwangi inspecting food waste during the delegation's tour in the Pacific.
Roseanne Mwangi inspecting food waste during the delegation's tour in the Pacific.
Staff from icipe and ACIAR meeting with local researchers during the delegation's visit to the Pacific
Staff from icipe and ACIAR meeting with local researchers during the delegation's visit to the Pacific
Researchers discussing black soldier flies during the delegation's tour of the Pacific
Researchers discussing black soldier flies during the delegation's tour of the Pacific
Icipe led delegation at ACIAR House in Canberra, Australia, before embarking on a tour of the Pacific
The icipe led delegation at ACIAR House in Canberra, Australia, before embarking on a tour of the Pacific

Kenyan insect farmer Ms Roseanne Mwangi who travelled with the delegation has worked with icipe since 2018 to innovate waste management at a local potato processing factory that was struggling to manage its daily waste output.

Using BSF, Ms Mwangi could convert potato waste into nutrient-rich larval biomass for livestock feed, helping her pigs to grow faster and earn more money at the market. 

'We get a higher value from the black soldier flies eating the potato waste than from the pigs eating it. Through the research, we've birthed a completely new sector in waste management and unlocked a way of bringing real value from waste,' said Ms Mwangi. 

'I enjoyed sharing my experience and knowledge with farmers in the Pacific. I have no doubt insects like black soldier fly can help others get the most out of their waste and farming systems.' 

Principal Scientist at Papua New Guinea's National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Dr Michale Dom, was involved in the icipe/ACIAR knowledge exchange initiatives and has been interested in black soldier flies since stumbling across BSF larvae (BSFL) by chance in 2009—a discovery that sparked his interest in the insect's potential as both feed and fertiliser.

'In 2009, I discovered a huge mass of larvae feeding in a full 90 L bin of fermented cassava. I knew I was onto something which would have huge potential for smallholder farmers,' said Dr Dom. 

His discovery led to various research efforts in PNG, chiefly investigating the utility of BSFL as a feed technology in aquaculture. However, it wasn't until a recent visit to Kenya, facilitated by icipe and ACIAR, that Dr Dom fully realised the transformational potential of BSF.

A group of people standing out the front of icipe headquarters in Kenya
A delegation of Pacific researchers and scientists visited icipe headquarters in Kenya with ACIAR staff in April to learn how insect technology is shaping a new industry and contributing to the circular economy.
A delegation of Pacific researchers and scientists visited Kenya in April to learn how insect technology is shaping a new industry and contributing to the circular economy.
Pacific researchers inspecting food waste and BSF in Kenya.
Black soldier fly larvae
Black soldier fly larvae
A delegation of Pacific researchers and scientists visited Kenya in April to learn how insect technology is shaping a new industry and contributing to the circular economy.
The Pacific delegation visiting a food waste processing site in Kenya.
A delegation of Pacific researchers and scientists visited Kenya in April to learn how insect technology is shaping a new industry and contributing to the circular economy.
Pacific researchers and scientists were joined by ACIAR staff to visit InsectPro in Kenya to learn how insect technology is helping shape a new industry.

'The visit to Kenya provided my team with much-needed exposure to successfully applying the science and technology of farming BSFL in a profitable circular economy. Until then, we had only our imaginations, some text and online images or footage, mostly of more high-tech, costly or smaller-scale applications similar to ours,' said Dr Dom. 

'In Kenya, we had the opportunity to visit working businesses in organic waste management, which were bio-converting tonnes of municipal and community organic waste into feed and fertiliser products of high economic and environmental value.

'It convinced us more than ever that farming BSFL, utilising scaled production and process technology for manufacturing BSF feed and fertiliser, is the future direction for smallholder agricultural systems in Papua New Guinea.

'There is no doubt in my mind that BSFL farming can be a transformative technology for our country.'

Dr Michale Dom
Principal Scientist, National Agricultural Research Institute

ACIAR first invested in icipe in 2014 in a co-funding arrangement with Canada's International Development Research Centre to develop and scale up sustainable, climate-resilient and gender-responsive innovations for smallholder farmers.

ACIAR Research Program Manager, Livestock Systems, Dr Anna Okello, said the icipe­ research and BSF technology has much to offer the Pacific region. 

‘The BSF research in East Africa addresses key agriculture and development challenges that I believe are especially pertinent to the Pacific. For example, this region imports almost 100% of livestock and fish feed, costing countries millions of USD per day,’ said Dr Okello. 

‘Additionally, thousands of tonnes of organic waste are dumped every year into limited landfill spaces, creating huge opportunities for waste management and youth employment as we have seen in East Africa. 

‘Given BSF was largely unknown and untested in the Pacific, I wanted to introduce the technology through this reciprocal exchange visit, and I’m excited at the positive response we have had from our regional partners.’

ACIAR and icipe are also partnering with AgriFutures Australia in a knowledge-sharing initiative to accelerate insect farming as an emerging industry in Africa and Australia. AgriFutures Australia has identified insect farming as having a high potential to reach a value of A$10 million per annum in Australia by 2025.

Read more about the current ACIAR research and how BSF has underpinned a new industry in Kenya. 

Circular economy
Innovation
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