How Black Soldier Fly farming is supporting livelihoods in Dadaab, Kenya

The approach brings together activities that can support household food production and generate income, while making better use of locally available resources.

The Danish Refugee Council’s (DRC) Black Soldier Fly Model Hub is helping farmers put these connections into practice. Launched in 2024 with funding from UNHCR, the initiative initially engaged 40 refugee participants. Additional support from the European Union through the Area-Based Livelihood Initiative Garissa (ABLI-G II) has extended participation to approximately 50 more farmers from refugee and host communities.

Through practical training and access to production inputs, farmers are learning to rear Black Soldier Fly larvae for poultry feed. They also use frass, the material left after the larvae process organic waste, as an organic soil amendment in household vegetable gardens.

Farmers can purchase five-day-old larvae from the Model Hub and continue rearing them at home, without having to establish their own fly breeding and egg-production systems. The larvae offer a locally produced feed input, while the frass can help support vegetable growing. Together, they offer potential to reduce reliance on purchased poultry feed and fertilizers.

For participating households, the opportunities extend to local markets. Farmers sell vegetables through nearby shops and markets in Dadaab, Ifo and Hagadera, providing an additional source of income.

The initiative has also connected farmers with poultry supplier Uzima Chicks, enabling them to access birds supplied at two months of age. After approximately four months of rearing by the farmers, the birds have begun laying eggs.

For one participating farmer, poultry keeping is creating an opportunity to earn income from egg sales. “Over 20 days, I collected 120 eggs from my six hens. A tray of 30 eggs can sell for up to KES 900, depending on the market,” shared Maimuna.

For farmers to sustain and grow these activities, reliable access to inputs, technical support and buyers is essential. DRC is working with ZeHunger Solutions to support the community-led model, connecting household farmers with Black Soldier Fly production inputs, technical assistance and potential commercial markets.

The work forms part of a market systems development approach that strengthens relationships among farmers, suppliers, service providers and buyers. The aim is to support a local system in which farmers can access what they need to produce and find markets for what they sell.

DRC and its partners are also exploring a proposed aggregation centre where Black Soldier Fly products from the hub and participating farmers, alongside eggs from poultry farmers, could be brought together and linked to wider commercial markets.

Challenges remain. Farmers living far from the Model Hub can face high transport costs and long journeys to collect young larvae. Participating farmers are exploring shared transport and distribution arrangements to make the larvae more accessible across the camps.

As these connections develop, the initiative is creating opportunities for refugee and host community farmers to turn organic waste into useful resources, strengthen production and build more diverse livelihoods.