How Flies Are Transforming Agriculture in Turkana, Kenya
It’s not every day that a tiny insect can bring a glimmer of hope to a community. But in Turkana, Kenya, an exciting change is happening — and it’s all thanks to black soldier flies.
Turkana is not an easy place to live. The heat, the arid landscape and the world’s changing climate have created regular cycles of drought throughout the region. Water is hard to come by, with rain water coming only once or twice a year. Malnutrition is a consistent struggle. Economic opportunities are also scarce, especially for women who have few options to generate income on their own.
Rose, a member of a pastoralist community in Turkana, has felt these challenges firsthand. For her, life often seemed defined by limits. Her community relies on rainwater to grow food for their animals, but the ongoing drought has made resources for Rose and her family increasingly scarce. She was ready to work for more, but more was hard to find.
New Possibilities
Thankfully, Rose got connected with World Relief Kenya. Our dedicated team there is constantly thinking of the people of Turkana, working alongside local churches to identify and implement holistic solutions that bring about transformation.
Churches in her area recognized the challenges women like Rose were facing, so they partnered with World Relief to form poultry farming groups and train women to raise chickens that could both improve nutrition and generate income.
Rose was selected to join one of the groups. With support from World Relief, she was gifted five young hens — the starting place of her transformation journey.
As the chicks grew, they began laying eggs, and Rose saw new possibilities. Eggs became a vital source of nutrition for her family. She also began selling some of the eggs, bringing in additional funds that eased the financial burdens of her household. Her family’s well-being began to grow with their flock.
Unfortunately, Rose soon hit another limit. The harsh environment made traditional chicken feed hard to find. Crop failure left little grain or seed for the flocks, and the ongoing drought meant that natural sources of food like vegetation and insects were also scarce. Rose did her best to persevere and ensure her chickens were healthy and well-fed, but it was a struggle.
That’s when the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) project arrived.
The Insect Making a Difference
Black soldier fly larvae are rich in protein and fat, which are necessary building blocks for healthy chicken eggs. These larvae can feed on pods from a non-native shrub in the mesquite family that grows abundantly as a weed in the arid Turkana climate, making BSF larvae a reliable and cost-effective source of high-quality feed for hens. Could these tiny insects be a sustainable solution to the feed scarcity Rose was facing?
Because of her dedication, Rose was chosen by her poultry farming group to take part in this innovative intervention. She relished the opportunity to learn, and as she transitioned her hens to this new feed, she quickly saw a difference. The eggs from her hens had stronger shells, meaning less breakage. In addition, the health and growth rate of her birds significantly improved, and she reported no losses of chicks after introducing the new feed.
“God has heard my prayers,” Rose shared. “This BSF is [a] godsend. Now I have a way to feed my hens forever. I am so happy and want to add more hens because I have seen the benefits.” Today, Rose is able to dream beyond the limits of living in a harsh climate. With more reliable access to nutritious food and additional income, her family’s life is being transformed by a few chickens and the BSF larvae she uses to feed them.
Investing in More Flourishing Futures
At World Relief, we’re celebrating this success with Rose and other families in Turkana, made possible by support from donors and partners like you! In FY24, we introduced the BSF project to 240 households in Turkana, giving families a chance at a healthier, more flourishing future. As a result, many of these households have doubled their average income as compared to households not yet participating.
God often acts through the unexpected and even the lowly. In Turkana, he’s using fly larvae to bring hope in the midst of a climate crisis. Thanks to your generosity and partnership with World Relief, even a small insect has become a spark of lasting change.