In Uganda, insect farming is providing food, animal feed, and fertiliser, particularly within refugee settlements. Kanane Bikanyale, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the Kyaka II settlement, began farming black soldier flies in 2019. He uses the larvae to feed chickens and tilapia fish, and the frass (insect debris and excrement) as fertiliser. This method addresses the challenge of costly conventional feed and ingredient shortages for smallholder farmers.
Kavira Musabingo, also from the DRC and living in Kyaka II, joined a women's group to learn insect rearing. She now provides chicken, eggs, and vegetables for her family and earns income from selling surplus produce. Kyaka II, home to nearly 140,000 people, mostly displaced by conflict in the DRC, has seen land allocations shrink, making food security difficult. Approximately 500 people in the camp are now part of 32 insect-farming groups, raising black soldier flies, crickets, and mealworms.
Dorothy Nakimbugwe, an associate professor at Makerere University, highlights the nutritional potential of insects, especially for vulnerable groups due to their richness in proteins and micronutrients like iron and zinc. She has led the Refugee Insect Production for Food and Feed (RefIPro) project, which has trained farmers and introduced insect rearing to over 10 schools. A trial involving 342 children at Bukere and Kako primary schools, who consumed mealworm-enriched porridge, reportedly showed improved height and body composition.
Despite the benefits, challenges remain, such as the cost of collecting and transporting organic waste for feed in food-insecure settings. However, insect farming is also being integrated into larger waste management systems. Outside Kampala, Kollekt Village uses insect farming in a zero-waste system, while Bioconvision in Jinja processes nearly 1,000 tonnes of organic waste annually into larvae and fertiliser. Proteen, a Ugandan social enterprise, converts coffee pulp into feed protein and fertiliser in Kasese.