By Naomi William

In Tanzania, black soldier fly breeding has begun to gain popularity, especially among smallholder farmers and young people engaged in sustainable farming.

One of those beneficiaries is Angela Mauto.

"I tried to tame cockroaches along with black soldier flies but these flies were more effective,'' Mauto told TRT Afrika.

Known scientifically as Hermetia Illucens, the black soldier flies are found in South and North America, parts of Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia.

According to information from Tanzania’s Fisheries Research Institute (Tafiri), the number of black soldier fly breeders has increased significantly in recent years as governments and non-governmental organizations provide training and equipment for promoting the breeding.

These flies do not cause any harm to humans because they do not have a food system in their bodies nor beaks that allow them to eat food, like other domestic flies.

Source of nutrition

The black soldier flies are said to have revolutionized the availability of animal feed.

This is due to the fact that these insects have the ability to grow on any type of organic waste, providing a high protein content of more than 50 percent.

"At first I had a hard time convincing people that it was good food for livestock... they saw it as just dirt," explains Mauto, who is also a resident of the city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Mauto started breeding the flies in 2018 as a source of compost

However, she came to realize the flies could be more than just a source of manure, but could be used to feed livestock such as chickens and pigs.

"There was a time when I was raising them in the environment where I live, sometimes inside my house. The community didn't understand me, but I didn’t have a breeding area then,'' she explains.

Stages of growth

There are several stages in the growth of such flies.

First, the egg stage, followed by the larvae, which is the livestock food, then the pupal stage before emerging as adults.

The fly has the ability to live for five to eight days.

According to the Mauto, the fly breeding business is environmental friendly as it supplements animal feed, reducing pressure caused by agricultural farming.

According to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), these flies have the ability to produce about 50 percent of their weight as protein, which is essential for livestock feed production, thus reducing the dependence on agricultural produce used for animal feed.

Despite being a lucrative business, there is still little awareness about the business.

"The difficulty in keeping these flies is squirrel invasions, but there is a way to control them and remove them from the habitat of these flies."

Egg costs

According to Mauto, one kilogram of the flies' eggs cost US$16,000 per kilogram.

"What I sell is insects that have already been harvested and dried. I usually sell from US$4,000, depending on the production for that period," she says.

Fly breeding has enabled Mauto to train various youths, helping them to expand their opportunities for self-employment.

Mauto's ambition is to start a training camp where she can teach about black soldier fly breeding especially among young people.

To date, Mauto has managed to reach more than 250 youths.

She appeals to her fellow women urging them to stop listening to people because by listening to naysayers, they can not do anything meaningful.