Project
Insect slurry as a wet local ingredient for Poultry in Nigeria
Fluctuations in the cost and quality of feed ingredients pose a significant challenge to Nigeria’s poultry farming sector. Incorporating reliable local ingredients in poultry feed increases poultry production resilience and, hence food security. Findings indicate that rearing black soldier fly larvae (BSF) on agri-food biomass and including them in poultry and aquaculture feed reduces the animal production cost in Nigeria by 30%. Drying larvae to produce meals is challenging for the insect business biosystem while producing an insect slurry preserved with green chemistry can boost insect production and enhance the resilience of the feed and poultry production sector.
A consortium comprising knowledge institutes and private companies from Nigeria and the Netherlands has been established to collaborate closely on the optimisation of insect slurry production and its application in broiler feed. This project consists of three phases. The initial phase involves the production of BSF slurry at the Demo farm located at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). It continues by investigating the effects of including BSF slurry on broiler feed quality at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The economic feasibility assessment of insect slurry production and its incorporation in commercial broiler feed, will be performed with the support of Ovo Concepts as the local consultant. This project received the support of the Agricultural advisor in the Netherlands consulates in Lagos and collaborates closely with BSF farmers in the ongoing impact cluster of Insect4Feed in Ibadan, Nigeria.