Revolutionary Cricket Feed Made from Food Waste Set to Transform Uganda’s Farming Industry
In a groundbreaking initiative, researchers from Uganda Christian University (UCU) have developed a innovative cricket feed made from domestic food waste, offering a cheaper and more efficient alternative to traditional poultry feed. This breakthrough is poised to revolutionize the country’s cricket farming industry, which has been hindered by the high cost of animal feed and the growing burden of uncollected urban food waste.
Josephine Nabbanga, a small-scale cricket farmer in Uganda’s Masaka district, has already seen the benefits of this new feed. "We saved a lot of money," she said, adding that the new feed is a "game changer" that she intends to use for her piggery as well. Nabbanga is one of thousands of farmers who have struggled with the rising cost of animal feed, which can cost around $0.68 per kilogram for poultry mash.
The project, led by Geoffrey Ssepuuya, a senior lecturer at UCU, aims to address the twin problems of food waste and feed costs. "We are using one problem to solve another," Ssepuuya explained. "By converting food waste into cricket feeds, we are solving both at once." With support from the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), the project has received significant funding to develop and test the feed formulations, build a cricket production facility, and establish a system for sorting and collecting food waste.
The new feed is made from collected food scraps such as banana peels and rice, which are heat-treated, dried, ground into powder, and blended into nutrient-rich cricket feed. According to Ssepuuya, the result is a feed comparable to commercial broiler starter mash, helping crickets mature in eight to ten weeks, compared to 12 weeks with traditional local feeds.
This innovative solution not only benefits farmers but also addresses the environmental issue of uncollected waste. In Kampala, only 45% of the city’s 481 kilotonnes of solid waste is collected daily, leaving the majority to clog drainage systems and pollute the environment. The project plans to use up to three tonnes of food waste per day, providing a cleaner and more sustainable feed than animal-based products.
The potential impact of this project extends beyond the environment, with the potential to boost household incomes and national nutrition. With a cheaper feed supply, farmers can scale up their cricket operations, sell both mature crickets and eggs, and earn more. Restaurants and markets can also become suppliers of food waste, creating a circular economy. As Ssepuuya noted, "Cricket farming doesn’t come with any of that burden" associated with traditional animal farming, making it a promising and eco-friendly protein alternative for Uganda and beyond.