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Before rural farmers took up maggot farming, 80% of chicken production costs were gobbled up by feed. But the United States Agency for International Development says this has now dropped by about 40%.
After multiple cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe due to extreme weather and poor sanitation, the country is now breeding maggots for use as animal feed and manure.
Experts from the government and the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, broached the idea. After initial resistance, many farmers are picking up this idea.
After harvesting the insects about once a month, farmers turn them into protein-rich feed for the free-range chickens. Maggot farming is good for the environment too. From bare survival, it is becoming a profitable venture. After harvesting the insects, farmers mix them with drought-tolerant crops, such as millet, cowpeas, sunflower, and salt.
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Before rural farmers took up maggot farming, 80% of chicken production costs were gobbled up by feed. But the United States Agency for International Development says this has now dropped by about 40%.
