East Africa is witnessing rapid population growth and urbanization. By 2050 cities in the region like Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Kampala will be amongst the largest cities in the world, all more than tripling in size. This brings a host of problems including pollution, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity. The mismanagement of waste compounds these issues through the releasing of methane at landfill sites, increased flooding from the clogging of rivers and waterways and the destruction of ecosystems. Waste management often does not come on top of the priority list for governments, but its problems affect all citizens, and its solutions can assist in creating jobs, improving soil and saving lives. At the same time there are issues with current protein sources (both environmentally and economically) for fish and poultry.

BioBuu produces high-protein feed for fish and poultry by growing black soldier flies. The black soldier fly larvae is fed with organic waste that would otherwise end up at a landfill. The end products are high-protein powder and organic fertiliser. Currently each insect factory takes in 20 tons of waste per day and produces 1 tonne of dried insect larvae and 4 tonnes of compost. The company started in the early 2010s through trial and error and they have worked to develop their processes.

Biobuu runs large insect factories, where they grow black soldier flies, in Tanzania and Kenya that transform waste into high-value insect protein for animal feed and compost. The larvae of the black soldier flies use the waste as their food. The larvae are then processed into high-protein feed for fish and poultry. Biobuu sells their insect protein as a replacement for fishmeal. The product is more affordable and saves aquaculture farmers because the price is 30-60 % less. These savings are crucial for small and medium scale fish farmers. When it comes to compost, each insect factory produces 4 tons of compost, which will provide affordable organic compost to increase yields across the regions.

This case study has been created as part of Footprints Africa's work to build a comprehensive open-source database of circular economy initiatives in Africa. We are doing this in collaboration with the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN), as part of our programme to support the circular economy transition in Africa. Image retrieved from https://www.tekeya.io/assets/img/site/Home.pngImage retrieved from https://www.biobuutz.com/