GCA is supporting young people in the informal settlement of Mukuru, in Nairobi, Kenya, to earn a living out of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farming, while addressing the climate-related threats of flooding, contamination of precious water sources, and vector and water borne diseases through waste management. A People’s Plan prepared by the residents of Mukuru had identified the increased risks of flooding and contamination during periods of heavy rainfall, due to clogged sanitation and drainage systems. Subsequent research revealed that on average, 72.5% of the waste generated in the informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, was organic, 20.3% was recyclable and 7.1% was non-recyclable or hazardous matter. While BSF farming can help deal with organic waste, the Mukuru community is still looking for potential win-win solutions to manage recyclable waste while generating livelihoods.
The GCA Locally Led Adaptation and Youth Jobs and Entrepreneurship teams organized a presentation for Mukuru youth by Fela Akinse Buyi, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Salubata Technological Innovations Limited. Salubata, a youth-led business in Nigeria, won the 2021 Youth Adaptation Solutions (YouthADAPT) Challenge for innovation in turning plastic waste from clogged waterways into trendy shoes. Salubata’s impressive work on plastic waste recycling is also featured on GCA’s 2023 publication, Stories of Resilience: Lessons from Local Adaptation Practice.
Young people from Mukuru who have been trained in BSF farming gathered in the Rueben Community Center in Mukuru on 8 February 2024 to hear from Fela, who recounted his personal story, saying he started Salubata to address the widespread problem of plastic waste in Lagos. He noted that only 9% of the 381 million tons of plastic waste generated annually around the world is recycled, while the rest ends up threatening the health and habitations of humans and wildlife, impacting the viability of tourism-based livelihoods, and undermining efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change. He encouraged the young people of Mukuru to start small but have a dream, seek and implement creative and innovative solutions to address the waste problem, and ensure the quality of a product before offering it to the public.
The Mukuru youth queried Fela on plans for Salubata to work in Kenya, and how the Mukuru community can be engaged in these plans. Fela responded that plans to franchise Salubata were underway and encouraged future discussions on this.
In addition to supporting ten BSF units in Mukuru, the GCA brokered deals for the African Development Bank (under the Nairobi Rivers Basin Rehabilitation and Restoration Program) and Dan Church Aid to provide financial and technical support for BSF farming in Mukuru.
BSF farming is an environmentally safe and cost-efficient method that is being increasingly used worldwide to treat organic waste. The larvae of the black soldier flies feed voraciously on organic waste. They are then used as a protein source for animal feed, while the waste (frass) they produce is used as organic fertilizer. (See Chapter 2 on Communities Turning Waste to Wealth in GCA’s 2023 Stories of Resilience for more information on BSF farming).