“Kapchorwa” in translation says "Home of Friends" – and for entosiast it exactly felt like that during the first visit on site, in early 2023: "Happily welcomed" by Crispus Kamuyeke and his family - in East Africa on the slopes of Mount Elgon.
Even at 2,000 meters above sea level Black soldier flies reproduce very successfully –
to directly point out the most important finding of entosiast's impressive first company travel to Uganda. Over the past two years, Crispus Kamuyeke has extensively tested and continuously optimized how the valuable flies can be animated to reproduce in this kind of environment with the pilot plant for Hermetia breeding. The decisive factor here, above all, is the approach in a greenhouse. This way, a microclimate can be pbtained in which it is warm enough for the flies at this altitude, and preferably also during the rainy season, to successfully mate and produce eggs as desired.
Farm expansion promises economic breakthrough for 2023
The pilot plant on the Barawa farm was originally set up on a floor space of about 20 m2. This fairly small area was sufficient for the Kamuyekes to become familiar with the husbandry and care of a consistent fly population. In the beginning, they fed the fattened Hermetia larvae primarily to the farm's own pigs and chickens.
With time and some word of mouth, the demand for fresh Hermetia larvae in the neighborhood has recently considerably increased. Initially, there was some skepticism about the rather unusual rearing of this novel mini-livestock. But in the meantime, more and more customers have recognized what a high-quality source of protein the larvae from Barawa Farm mean for their animals. The fact that they are produced directly in the region, i.e. that they are available all year round without (costly) transport, is also seen as a major plus by farmers.
With the help of various support programs, Barawa Farm – which now officially operates under the name "BarawaValli Farm Investments Ltd." – has grown enormously in recent months. The small greenhouse has grown into a remarkable breeding facility for black soldier flies, enabling the Kamuyeke Family to produce large quantities of food larvae on a permanent basis. The aim now is to attract more attention not only from the regional market but also from the national market and thus to put the Barawa Farm on a stable economic foundation.
Some time again soon @ Barawa Farm
entosiast will of course continue to support Joy and Crispus Kamuyeke, and will be happy to visit them again and again to get first-hand impressions of the progress of the "Rearing of the Black Soldier Fly at the Barawa Farm in Kapchorwa". The anticipation for the further joint development is great - true to our motto "For flies, skies hold no limits"!