IITA launches environment-friendly BBEST project in DRC
April 13, 2023
IITA–CGIAR initiated a new project, IITA BBEST, to improve urban sanitation and address the problem of waste management and sustainable supply of feed and organic fertilizers. The project was officially launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by Jules Ngondili, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development representative, on 15 March in Kinshasa.
In his speech, Ngondili applauded the initiative of IITA and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). He said, “Waste management represents a major challenge and an important aspect in environmental remediation actions.”
Participants at the launch of the three-year BBEST project in Kinshasa.
He stated that DRC has subscribed to several commitments related to urban sanitation to protect the Congolese population from scourges and diseases caused by dirt and poor waste management.
The mayor of Bukavu, Zénon Karumba, was among the distinguished guests at the launch. According to the mayor, “The city has about 1,800,000 citizens and produces 450 grams of waste per day per habitat, half of which is organic waste.” He expressed his delight at the IITA BBEST project and pledged his support to the directors for the implementation of the project in Bukavu.
IITA Central Africa Hub Director Zoumana Bamba highlighted the different benefits of the project, such as improved urban sanitation, job creation for youth, and favorable climate impact. He also mentioned that the project’s success would attract participation from the government and more investors.
The three-year project titled: Chicken, fish and pig feed and organic fertilizer value chain development using BSF-based urban biowaste in DRC, Ghana, Mali, and Niger is an initiative led by IITA and funded by Norad.
The project’s overall objective is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder chicken, fish, pig, and vegetable producers and other value chain actors and contribute to improved urban sanitation and climate change mitigation.
In addition to the overall objective, the project also seeks to:
Understand the current and future bio-waste streams to inform the design of a business model for sustainable bio-waste management, organic fertilizer production, and chicken, fish and pig.
Establish chicken, fish, and pig feed and organic fertilizer value chains.
Optimize the potential of BSF biowaste processing and build capacities and BSF technology know-how of youth agripreneurs and other stakeholders.
Contribute to improving the livelihoods of smallholder chicken, fish, pig, and vegetable producers, other value chain actors, and urban sanitation.
This would involve the development of operational models in two cities, Kinshasa and Bukavu, to demonstrate the profitability of using organic waste to produce black soldier fly larvae for incorporation into livestock and fish feed. Residue from these would also become ingredients in organic fertilizer production for farming.
This can therefore contribute to urban sanitation, climate change mitigation, and food security.
Representatives from IFAD, USAID, and Weza Institute graced the ceremony. Other partner organizations represented include AALI, BNARI, CSIR-IIR, IER, INERA, INRAN, UNIKIN, and WORLDVEG.
Contributed by Francisca Ocloo
Olamide Deborah Nwanze is a Senior Research Associate specializing in gender mainstreaming research to inform participatory and inclusive breeding, variety development, and seed systems policies regarding root, tuber, and banana (RTB) crops in the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Headquarters, Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Ibadan and holds an MSc and B. Agric in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development. Olamide is a fellow of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development – Gender Responsive Agricultural Systems Policy (AWARD-GRASP) and the Gender Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT). She seeks to apply her gender-mainstreaming learnings, gender-responsive research, and policy development, and review expertise to facilitate women, youth, children, and vulnerable social group’s access to and adoption of agricultural Innovations that guarantee food, nutrition, income, and livelihood security in Africa. Her current roles include mentoring research fellows, development of guides and training manuals, implementation and adaptation of gender frameworks and tools, value chain actors’ engagement as citizen science partners, policy review and redesign, data management, and analysis. Her current research explores mixed methods and participatory and interdisciplinary approaches to capture and highlight gender dynamics, needs, preferences, and challenges stakeholders face within the agricultural livelihood value chain to prioritize gender-inclusive strategies in breeding programs, policy design, and implementation.
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