Black soldier fly could help West Africa turn its growing organic waste challenge into an agricultural opportunity, producing fertilizer for vegetable crops and protein-rich feed for poultry and fish – if a major gap in awareness can be overcome, according to research led by WorldVeg.
The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is a dark, wasp-like insect whose larvae feed voraciously on organic waste, including food scraps, manure and crop residues. The larvae can be harvested as a protein-rich ingredient for poultry and fish feed, while the frass they produce – a nutrient-rich compost-like material – can be used as organic fertilizer.
Frass commonly contains the major plant nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as calcium, magnesium and micronutrients, although composition varies substantially depending on what the larvae are fed. Research led by WorldVeg in Ghana found that frass compost improved tomato productivity and postharvest quality.
But despite the promise, a new study published in the Elsevier journal Cleaner and Responsible Consumption surveyed 1,153 farmers and traders in Ghana, Mali and Niger found that awareness of black solder fly and its frass was low. Only one in ten had heard of black soldier fly, just 7% knew it could be used to convert organic waste into fertilizer and animal feed, and only 6% knew that fertilizer produced through the process could be used to grow vegetables.
Nevertheless, interest in the approach amongst survey respondents was strong, particularly in the use of black soldier fly feed, with 94% willing to use it and 85% willing to trade black soldier fly products.
“Black soldier fly gives organic waste a value it otherwise may not have,” said Paul Alhassan Zaato, WorldVeg agroecologist and lead author of the study, which also included scientists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Burkina Faso’s Norbert ZONGO University. “Instead of being a disposal problem, that waste can become part of the solution to producing fertilizer and animal feed locally. Our findings suggest there is considerable interest in that opportunity, but most farmers and traders still know very little about it.”
Moving from promise to deployment
The findings point to considerable untapped potential for an approach that could help West Africa tackle two problems at once: managing organic waste and providing farmers with more sustainable sources of fertilizer and animal feed.
Organic material accounts for an estimated 50–80% of municipal solid waste in the region, much of which remains unmanaged, contributing to dumping, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental and public health problems. The researchers say black soldier fly production offers a more sustainable way to manage some of this waste by turning it into useful agricultural inputs.
The potential to produce fertilizer locally is particularly relevant in West Africa, where many countries depend heavily on imports. Recent disruption to fertilizer trade through the Strait of Hormuz has exposed the vulnerability of countries heavily dependent on imported fertilizers, strengthening the case for developing a wider range of locally produced options – of which black soldier fly frass could be one.
But the study also shows that the path to wider use is unlikely to look the same everywhere. Knowledge and attitudes varied between countries and groups, with respondents in Niger generally recording lower scores than those in Ghana and Mali. Education was associated with greater acceptance among some poultry and fish farmers, while among vegetable farmers, factors including how often people ate vegetables and the neighborhoods they lived in were also associated with their attitudes and practices.
That makes targeted support important. The researchers point to practical demonstrations and extension services tailored to different users and countries, alongside appropriate policies and private-sector investment. They also caution that willingness does not necessarily become sustained adoption when an unfamiliar product is poorly demonstrated, difficult to obtain or economically uncertain.
Black soldier fly has the appetite. But wider use will depend on West Africa developing a taste for what it produces.
The research was conducted under the Black Soldier Fly for Bio-circular Economy and Environmental Sustainability (BBEST) project, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) through IITA, with additional funding from WorldVeg’s long-term strategic donors.
This work aligns with the Action Area on Climate Resilience in the WorldVeg Global Strategy 2026-2033. (Download｜Flipbook)
Click to read: Warriors of waste: New guide to boosting vegetable production – with the help of the black soldier fly
