The IITA–CGIAR led BSF for Bio Circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability BBEST Project, engaged farmers at the maiden Edition of Channel One TV’s AgriFair, held from 20 to 22 June at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra.
During the three-day event, the project exhibited a live display of the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) life cycle, attracting livestock and aquaculture producers, vegetable farmers, children, potential investors, agriculture institutions, and the general public.
Amuetey Nagetey, the BSF production manager, said, “The BSF technology is transforming the poultry and the agriculture landscape by converting fruit, vegetable, slaughterhouse, and kitchen wastes into larvae, which are a rich protein supplement used in aquaculture, poultry, and livestock production.”
In addition to reducing a substantial amount of waste in landfills, the BSF also reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, leading to urban sanitation.
Twumasi, the Monitoring and Evaluation and learning specialist on the IITA-BBEST project, said, “Adopting the sustainable production of the Black Soldier Fly larvae will aid in reducing the import of fish and soybean meal.” This will make the poultry industry more profitable.
After being sensitized on the benefits of BSF, a substantial number of poultry farmers, vegetable farmers, and individuals showed interest in receiving training on BSF farming to start producing the larvae and the frass after learning the production process is environmentally friendly.
The BSF frass, a certified product by the Plant Protection and the Regulatory Service (PPRDS) under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), was also exhibited and marketed during the Agrifair. It is used to produce vegetables and to restore soil.
Visiting the IITA-BBEST Project exhibition booth, Daniel Fahene Acquaye, the CEO of Agri-Impact, acknowledged the potential of the BSF technology to create jobs for the youth and showed interest in partnering with the project.
The Ghana Prisons Service team, led by the Agriculture Director, Kwaku Ababio Ali, who also visited the project exhibition booth, expressed interest in incorporating BSF farming into the prisons’ rehabilitation and agriculture programs.
“This aligns with our poultry and aquaculture production programs. We see great potential in the BSF for food security and skills development for inmates,” Ali said.
Through its participation in the Agrifair, the project has increased farmers’ and feed producers’ awareness of BSF technology, promoted the BSF frass among farmers, and established relationships with private and public institutions to enable the adoption and scaling of BSF technology and the promotion of climate-smart agriculture.
Contributed by Francisca Ocloo
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