Today, 5th of June, Environment Day is celebrated worldwide, reminding us of the importance of taking care of our planet for future generation. That’s exactly what AVSI Foundation is doing with the Youth involved in the Value for Waste project.
The Value for Waste program will assist small farmers in the urban and peri-urban areas in Uganda to nurture their crops and animals, and by the end of the nine-month program, farmers in the districts of Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and Mityana will be able to consolidate, increase, and disseminate agricultural products and services deriving from the use of the soldier fly, and have improved knowledge, production and use of agricultural inputs (fertilizers) from the recycling of organic waste.
AVSI Foundation launched the Value for Waste project in March 2021 and is working in collaboration with Proteen Ltd, an Ugandan company with expertise in waste management.
This project has been selected as part of Coopen, a participative process for creating impactful solutions between Italy and Africa promoted by Innovazione per lo Sviluppo, a programme supported by Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo.
The youth who have exerted energy and excitement in fertilizer production are already on board the EUR 113,700 Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo-funded program.
How the soldier fly helps to recycle waste material
Proteen feeds the urban organic-waste to Black Soldier Fly larvae. After a short rearing period of ten days, these larvae can be harvested, dried and processed into high-quality protein feed for livestock.
Black Soldier Flies are incredibly efficient in converting ingested organic matter into harvestable protein, and what they leave behind is organic fertilizer.
AVSI’s role in the Value for Waste program:
- Validate Proteen Business Model to ensure managerial and entrepreneurial skills.
- Consolidate collaborations for the collection of organic waste to reach the day-to-day target of ten tons of waste recycled, while counting on the partnership with agricultural private sector players.
- Purchase of a five-ton capacity truck for the collection of the organic waste.
- Training of 30 youth, 15 of them women, to be attached to Proteen’s production chain.
- Promotion of four demonstration plots and training of at least 150 farmers. Up to four farmers will be selected as role models and will disseminate the production of fertilizers from organic waste and its use through the establishment of four demonstration plots.
Expectations and impact:
Managing waste resources is challenging and requires that organizations develop new technologies which promote a clean atmosphere. AVSI Foundation and the Value for Waste project will not only spread a new culture based on sustainability among Ugandan youth, but also offer affordable, sustainable and high-quality organic fertilizer to farmers, thus playing a key role in increasing productivity and livelihoods while preserving a healthy environment.
