AgriLife

Long description

AgriLife raises black soldier flies to up-cycle organic waste while producing alternative protein sources for the fish feed industry using low-tech, circular production and easily scalable process. Our cost-effective fish feeds use sustainable ingredients such as macrophytes and black soldier fly larvae as an alternative to overexploited fishmeal and soybean.

Food production and processing in Tanzania generate high levels of organic waste, causing a negative environmental impact and significant expenses. About 30% of waste in Africa and 38% of waste in Tanzania is uncollected due to costs of waste disposal, and the lack of necessary infrastructure. The majority of urban waste is organic, typically more than 50% by volume. According to the UN, rotting food waste accounts for 7% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

Approximately 30% of the fish catch is diverted from human consumption to make fish-meal, a source of protein for animal feeds. Fishmeal is currently produced using wild-caught forage fish such as anchovies in Chile and Peru, but due to increased demand and strict catch quotas designed to address overfishing, fishmeal prices have risen to $1700 per ton – four times as expensive as cheaper plant-based proteins. However, plant proteins such as soy are deficient in key amino acids needed for carnivorous fish diets and contain anti-nutritional factors that limit digestibility and increase disease risk. The industry needs a sustainable, high-quality feed alternative.

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