The National Agricultural Research Institute is spearheading a scientific research in partnership with Fiji Ministry of Agriculture and the Vanuatu Agricultural Research Centre to investigate the potential of developing the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) as part of a regional project into a feed technology and organic waste management.
This project transpired after a team of researchers from NARI, the PNG University of Technology, Fiji Ministry of Agriculture, and the Vanuatu Agricultural Research Centre visited the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya, on a fact-finding mission to learn more about the BSF and its economical benefits and see how best this technology can transform the agriculture sector in the region.
The BSF project is supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and ICIPE in collaboration with NARI, the PNG University of Technology, Fiji Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Vanuatu Agriculture and Research Technical Centre and other stakeholders.
The project’s key objectives is to improve access to sustain production and make BSF available as a feed protein source, reduce organic waste and promote economical opportunities and progress to developing a business model for BSF farming.
A team of researchers from Kenya including youth entrepreneurs made a reciprocal visit to PNG, Fiji and Vanuatu to assess and provide technical assistance and the transition to making the BSF a potential feed technology and an option for waste management into useful organic waste within the agriculture sector.
The visiting delegation from Kenya left Papua New Guinea on July 4.
