Caren Njeria and Nancy Njoki are black soldier fly farmers from Ndenderu, Kiambu County.
The two who initially ventured into agri-business by rearing pigs ventured into black soldier farming in a bid to bridge the protein gap amid the high cost of livestock feed.
They sell at least 2 tonnes of black soldier farm every month and make up to Ksh 300,000 from selling both fresh and dried black soldier fly.
Here is their story as told by WoK.
Background
In an interview with NTV, Njeria explained that before venturing into black soldier farming, they were practicing pig farming.
While at it, they noticed a gradual hike in feed prices forcing them to look for alternative ways to make affordable feeds for pig farmers.
“We were pig farmers and the feeds started going up. That got us interested in wanting to know how we bridge the gap,” Njeria said.
Black soldier flies undergo a life cycle that includes four distinct stages namely egg, larva, pupa and adult.
At the initial stage, the larva is fed with maize germ and wheat bran before they graduate to a diet of organic waste.
“The second feeding is the waste, we could do the home kitchen waste and pig manure which we mix them, weigh around 8-10 kgs for Instar 1 or Instar 2 around 250 grams and feed them,” Njeria added.
At this stage, the black soldier flies are kept in a concealed space away from predators and advanced weather conditions.
At this stage, the recommended temperature is between 25 ℃ to 35 ℃.
“You can’t afford to leave the farm and go do whatever it is and then you come after 14 days, everything will be dead. It’s a type of farming that you have to pit your eye on,” Njoki said.
The farmers noted that it was not easy starting off as they were not conversant with black soldier farming but they got used to it with time.
“We are driven by passion, clearing the environment and making sure that we farm using organic and not the inorganic ways and it has a lot of money,” Njeria said.
The two ladies produce about 2,000 kgs of black soldier flies in their farm per month and they sell a KG between Ksh 130 to Ksh 150.
“If you’re doing it for the market, you need to get into the process of drying. This was you put it in water just to sterilize it and then you can put it on fire using an aluminum tray,” Njoki explained.
Njeria also urged fish farmers to consider using fresh black soldiers flies to feed their fishes for better results.
“The fresh ones has more value than the dried ones. We’ve got a lot of vitamins that will not die during the drying process,” Njeria stated.
Other than selling the black soldier flies, Njeria and Njoki also make pet feeds for dogs, cats and fish among others.
“Try it on chicken, feed that chicken and consume it, it’s very sweet, I’ve done it,” Njoki said.
Njoki and Njerea employ up to 10 workers on their farm, and they also train those interested in agribusiness.
