Smallholders in Masaka district are producing crickets as a protein-rich food while researchers at Uganda Christian University (UCU) have developed a locally formulated feed from domestic food waste. The project, led by Geoffrey Ssepuuya and started in September 2023, aims to use one problem to solve another: converting urban food waste into affordable, nutrient-dense cricket feed. The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) funded the effort, giving US$29,473 for formulation and testing and US$63,750 to build a production facility, package the feed and establish waste sorting and collection.
Collected food scraps such as banana peels and rice are heat-treated, dried, ground into powder and blended into a feed that Ssepuuya says is comparable to commercial broiler starter mash. The formulation shortens cricket maturation to eight–ten weeks versus twelve weeks on traditional local feeds. It also supports fast growth and high reproduction: crickets lay hundreds of eggs, so populations can increase quickly. Josephine Nabbanga said, “We saved a lot of money,” and noted she plans to use the feed in her piggery as well.
City officials see waste benefits too. The Kampala Capital City Authority reports that only 45 per cent of the city’s 481 kilotonnes of solid waste is collected daily, and KCCA spokesman Daniel Nuwabiine welcomed the idea. Ssepuuya added that up to three tonnes of food waste per day could be used and that cricket farming avoids the burdens of slaughterhouse waste.
Project leaders say the initiative could raise household incomes and national nutrition by helping farmers scale up and sell mature crickets and eggs. Restaurants and markets could supply waste, forming a circular economy. The team plans to seek certification from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards before large-scale commercial rollout. The work was supported by SGCI and reported by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Difficult words
- smallholder — a farmer who manages a small family farmSmallholders
- formulation — a specific mixture or recipe for animal feed
- maturation — process of becoming fully grown or adult
- nutrient-dense — containing many nutrients per small amount
- circular economy — system where waste becomes resource for production
- certification — official approval showing products meet set standards
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Discussion questions
- How could converting urban food waste into cricket feed affect local incomes and community nutrition? Give reasons from the article or your experience.
- What challenges might farmers face when they try to scale up cricket farming and sell mature crickets and eggs?
- Would restaurants and markets in your area be likely to supply food waste for this scheme? Why or why not?
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