Innovation at NMS’s Farm - Black Soldier Flies

NMS is always looking for ways to support the students. The Farm at NMS is a great source of nutrition from the eggs the chicken's lay to the milk the cow's produce to the vegetables grown. They nourish the children and given them a balance diet while also providing extra income for the school with local sales. The community is a beneficiary of the Farm through both employment opportunities and fresh produce.

At the Nambale Magnet School, one wakes up to the crowing of roosters near dawn and the sound of cattle being moved outside for grazing early in the mornings. NMS has an extensive working farm which provides income for the school while feeding students and staff daily.  As there are over 460 students and 80+ staff, this requires a lot of food! NMS does buy certain staple items from outside such as maize, sugar, salt, and some fruits, but all of the eggs, milk, meat, and vegetables consumed on campus are produced on the farm.

It provides a much more nutritious and varied diet than even most paying students receive at their homes. And it offers a robust diet in a region in which most people experience food insecurity.  It is not surprising that many sponsored learners lose weight when they return home following school breaks and don’t regain it until they return to NMS.

In October 2024, NMS kicked off their black soldier fly (BSF) rearing project by receiving and incepting their larvae. Black soldier flies are renowned as being one of the most efficient waste recyclers of the insect world.  This marks the beginning of an exciting journey where NMS, with support from ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, will serve as a satellite training center for the Busia community.

Adult black soldier flies have one goal—to lay eggs. The resulting larvae can devour a wide range of food scraps and waste materials, quickly converting leftovers into protein. From the time of hatching, black soldier fly larvae only take 10-14 days to grow fully.  At the adult stage, the larvae are fed to animals, providing a protein-rich food source for livestock. Studies show that animals who eat BSF are growing faster and reducing fat by producing more lean meat.  The BSF project has helped NMS to supplement their protein needs for their livestock and may one day replace the need to purchase protein feed.

Apart from creating feed high in protein, black soldier flies can be used to clean up vast quantities of bio-waste such as fruit and vegetable waste from potato peels, food waste, and pig manure. NMS has plenty of this waste to spare.  When fed organic waste, black soldier flies produce nitrogen-rich frass (insect manure) that can be used as a high-performing fertilizer. NMS is using this fertilizer to cultivate their vegetables and increase the production of their farm.

This is an exciting endeavor, saving costs, increasing food production, and nourishing all those at NMS..

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