Benin agricultural project uses fly larvae to produce organic fertilizer

Using insects to help feed Africa's population? This is the approach that some farmers in Benin have adopted.

Deforestation and climate change have degraded African land and made it increasingly difficult for small-scale farmers to grow food.

One project in Southern Benin believes that insects could be the answer to some of these environmental challengers.

Agronomist Noël Obognon is working with larvae from black soldier fly to produce organic fertiliser.

Using larvae fly cuts the soil’s decomposition process from six months to just 12 days. “These small larvae, wanting to feed and eat, will start decomposing [the soil], they will eat everything," Obognon said.

Obognon says this accelerated process allows his team to produce 10 times as much natural compost compared to normal processing.

His company now sells organic fertiliser to over 2,500 clients across Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

The project has also received support from the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

“Erosion and low levels of organic matter in soils are one of the reasons for low agricultural productivity and therefore poverty among farmers," said IFAD's biodiversity and climate specialist Mahoussi Simone Assocle.

"The effects of climate change, such as prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall during agricultural seasons, further complicate the situation," she added.

Up to 65% of African land is degraded while desertification affects 45% of the continent's land, according to the United Nations.

Food security, agricultural transformation and climate resilience will be the core issues of the Africa Food Systems Forum Summit held in Dakar this week.