"Buzzing with Innovation: team EntoPro Tackles Animal Feed Costs with Black Soldier Fly Project"

“Can you tell us about yourselves and your project?”

“We are five passionate students of the Department of Agriculture Production from the Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname. Inspired by our teacher, we entered the Food and Innovation System Challenge with a lot of enthusiasm. Our team includes (from left to right) Mukhlis Karsodjojo and Kirti Baboelal (Agro-processing), Ivy Sontowinggolo (Forestry), Michaël van Leesten (Agriculture), and Shaguill Linger (Animal Husbandry). We also have an international team member, Hammed Jimoh, from the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences.”

“What is the focus of your project in this challenge?”

“We are a team from various fields, but against all odds, we joined forces to address the high cost of animal feed by proposing a sustainable alternative: Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae feed, cultivated both in captivity and harvested from the wild.”

“Can you explain more about your activities during this challenge?”

Our plans during the challenge include thorough research on BSF and its use in animal feed. Then, we will collect BSF eggs, raise the larvae, and monitor and adjust the process as needed. We will also engage with local experts, a community and husbandry farmer, procuring insights to set up a successful BSF cultivation system.

“What additional activities are you involved in during this challenge?”

Besides our main activities on captivating and cultivating BSF in this challenge, we are also attending several workshops that are held on our campus. Some important topics include project management, securing seed funding, transferring a project to a community, and creating a business mindset. These workshops create a broader perspective and encourage critical thinking.

“What are your aims and expectations for the future of this project?”

During our journey, our aim is to produce enough kilograms of BSF prepupae in the upcoming period, which will be used to produce dry feed. Although we currently have a reasonable production, it is necessary to scale it up to achieve our ultimate goal. We will also use a part of our BSF prepupae in cages. The cage is meant to develop the prepupae into flies and then monitor the whole BSF life cycle (reproduction). Our expectations from this challenge are to develop marketing skills, successfully introduce our project to poultry farmers, deliver project good results at our final pitch, form a comprehensive understanding of food systems, gain sustainable principles in feed production, and enhance collaboration and teamwork skills.

“It sounds like a comprehensive and impactful project. Thank you all for sharing your inspiring work with us!”

The other team of the University of Abuja that participates in the Food Systems Innovation challenge is the team "Sugar Shakers". Dive into their innovative concepts and check out all the other selected teams here!

More information about the Food Systems Innovation Challenge can be found on the website or on our community page.