Refugees in Uganda have limited access to land and resources and suffer from inadequate access to nutritious food. The large influx of refugees into Uganda continues to strain the resources of the humanitarian system, as it is impossible for the World Food Programme (WFP) to obtain sufficient support from donors to meet all needs.
The Ugandan government, together with development partners, is therefore emphasising the need to develop innovative income-generating activities, which can lead to sustainable livelihoods for both refugees and host communities. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that insects form part of the traditional diets of at least 2 billion people. More than 2,100 species have reportedly been used as food. Insects are a highly nutritious and healthy food source, with high fat, protein, vitamin, fibre and mineral content, and could act as both a source of nutrition and an income-generating opportunity for refugees in Uganda.
The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the ability of schools and farmers’ associations in and around the Kyaka II refugee settlement to increase production of nutritious food and generate income.
This will be achieved through three components:
- Piloting production of Black Soldier Fly Larvae for income generation.
- Strengthening the capacity of farmers’ associations.
- Piloting production of mealworms in schools to improve child nutrition.
The project will explore both mealworm and BSFL production to increase the likelihood that at least one of the approaches will be successful, as this is a completely new type of produce in the area. The proposed project is a pilot expected to test new types of intervention over a period of six months, from January to July 2020.
The main expected outcome is that proofs of concept will have been established for the production of Black Soldier Fly Larvae and mealworms for income generation and nutrition in and around refugee settlements in Uganda, and that local farmers’ associations are interested in, and capable of, expanding production.
