From until
The traditional agriculture in northern Uganda is characterized by low production that does not meet the needs of the growing human population. Many farms operate on small pieces of land for agriculture. Consumed food is nutritionally imbalanced, the production systems are not diversified, and access to nutritious, high protein foods such as meat and eggs are either inaccessible to most people or too expensive to import from abroad. Consequently, food production systems are not sustainable in the long term.
Communities face considerable challenges in achieving self-reliance and have limited livelihood options leading to food insecurity and malnutrition. Edible insects are a valued and culturally accepted source of food in this region, but currently, they are only wild-harvested due to limited knowledge on how to farm them.
This project aims 1) to improve resilience in communities in northern Uganda by developing efficient and sustainable technologies for mass rearing of highly nutritious and sustainable protein-rich edible grasshopper (Ruspolia differens) and edible cricket species (Acheta domesticus and Scapsipedus icipe), and 2) to build capacity of researchers at Gulu University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology in edible insect production.