In Masaka district, small-scale farmers are raising crickets as a high-protein snack and food source. Many producers had depended on poultry mash that they described as costly and unreliable. Josephine Nabbanga, a local cricket farmer, said the high cost prevented her from expanding her business.
The project, led by senior lecturer Geoffrey Ssepuuya at Uganda Christian University (UCU), began in September 2023 to develop low-cost, high-protein cricket feed from food waste. The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) funded the work, providing US$29,473 in the first phase to develop and test formulations and US$63,750 in the second phase to build a production facility, package the feed and set up waste sorting and collection.
Collected scraps such as banana peels and rice are heat-treated, dried, ground to a powder and blended into nutrient-rich feed. Ssepuuya said the feed matches commercial broiler starter mash and helps crickets mature in eight to ten weeks instead of twelve. Project leaders say the initiative could reduce urban waste, boost household incomes and improve nutrition; they plan to seek certification from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards before wider rollout. The work was supported by SGCI and reported by SciDev.Net.
Difficult words
- poultry mash — animal feed made for farm birds
- formulation — a recipe or mix for a productformulations
- production facility — place where goods are made or produced
- food waste — leftover food materials that are thrown away
- certification — official approval showing a standard met
- nutrient-rich — containing many vitamins and useful nutrients
- mature — reach full growth or development
- boost — increase or improve something, often quickly
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you try crickets as a snack or food? Why or why not?
- How could a local community collect and use food waste for projects like this?
- Do you think official certification is important before selling new food products? Why?
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