Read
Feature Articles

In-depth stories

Photo Stories

Visual narratives

Explainers

Facts distilled

Antimicrobial Resistance

Shield against superbugs

Newsletter

What goes inside?

Watch
Good Food Champions

Meet the growers

Rootmaps

Words of wisdom

Clear Cuts

Explainer videos

Journey Vlogs

Virtual tours

Listen
Climate Brides

Farmers on their food practices

Slow Cooked

Farmers on their food practices

Capsule
Your Are What You Eat

Keep it reel

Good Food Cards

Fun encyclopaedia

Do it now

Farmers on their food practices

Book reading

Celebs read excerpts

Comic Books

Adventures of Bhumi & Vayu

About
Timeline

Food evolution

About The Movement

Our mission

Our Values

Guiding principles

FAQs

Common queries

Our Work
Stories of a Tree

One tree. Many tales.

Devarakadu Farm

Developing a model farm

Reverse Migration

Farmers on their food practices

Join
Volunteers

Farmers on their food practices

Collaborate With Us

GFM + You

Black Soldier Fly: A hero of insect farming and waste management

Far from being pests, the larvae of this insect can process trash and serve as nutritious feed for livestock

Copied!
April 18, 2025
|
6
min
read
Share
0:00
0:00
unmutemute
skip backwards
10
playpause
skip forward
10
April 18, 2025
6
min read

Table of content

Example H2

Dont miss out on monthly updates

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

For most people, creepy crawlies evoke a sense of fear, if not disgust. And yet, bugs and insects form necessary links in food chains. They feed directly on plants and convert their food into protein and energy–and when they are, in turn, eaten by birds, small mammals and fish, these predators absorb this plant protein that would otherwise remain inaccessible to them. Insects are also pollinators for over 80% of flowering plants in the world–many of which have no way to self-pollinate: their existence depends on insects.

Some insects may even contribute to solving a looming global issue: waste disposal. As populations increase, so does waste generation—but the land to absorb all of it remains finite. With a projected 1.6 billion demographic rise by 2050, most dwellings in India are strewn with mountains of garbage along the peripheries of urban centres. It only makes the urgency more apparent: how we do away with organic trash needs to be rethought.

A lack of waste disposal isn’t just an eyesore: it also poses severe damage to citizens and the environment, by way of issues such as respiratory and gastric illnesses and contamination of groundwater. Currently, waste disposal, particularly in India, is mostly through landfills–which quickly become hotspots for methane emissions, given the fact that almost 40% of an urban dweller’s waste is composed of organic materials. A 2021 report by the NITI Aayog estimates that urban India produces between 130,000-150,000 metric tons of municipal solid waste everyday, with each person disposing 330 to 350 grams. 

And while large-scale waste treatment and disposal policies are in play, one unexpected solution may be buzzing around the waste itself: flies. Though we typically associate flies with a lack of hygiene, the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) may just be able to do the opposite–consume and treat organic waste, especially food scraps and even manure, without the release of any emissions. They even do this faster than conventional methods of management.

Also read: Why neem oil is the OG pest buster 

What is the Black Soldier Fly? 

Known as the Hermetia illucens in the scientific community, this South American bug species can be found across the globe now. According to a research facility in Dimapur, it is the larvae of BSF that ingest the waste (up to 4 times waste than their body size) and convert it into protein, reducing the weight of the waste by 50%. The waste that these flies can’t consume includes wood, high-cellulose materials and plastics.

The larvae of BSF ingest the waste (up to 4 times waste than their body size) and convert it into protein, reducing the weight of the waste by 50%. (Credit: Vengolis, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

The life cycle of the Black Soldier Fly is about 45 days. The larvae themselves mature over a period of two weeks–after which, some of them are kept aside to repopulate the colony, and the rest are used as feed for livestock–they are an excellent source of alternate food for poultry like chicken. This nutrition sustains them when they reach adulthood. An adult fly can live for 5-8 days, and the females can lay up to 800 eggs!

Rearing Black Soldier Flies creates little waste. On the other hand, it encourages the maintenance of natural ecosystems. These flies are quite unique: unlike the usual fruit fly which may be a carrier of disease, the black-soldier fly is a non-invasive species, which is not a vector. They’re also not damaging to crop health. 

The future of insect farming

For small-scale farmers, who are stretched for both land and resources, rearing insects can be a creative solution. Densely populated and requiring little energy, they occupy little land and consume even less feed. They’ve even been raised in humble two-bedroom apartments. For this reason, reports by the UN have suggested that these bugs may define farming in the coming decades. Just one kilogram of larvae can consume up to 30 kilograms of waste, approximately four times their body matter in organic waste. Even their byproduct is useful: the excreta, called frass, is a nutrient-rich biofertiliser that aids soil enrichment.

These flies convert compost and waste into vitamin-rich fodder, given their high waste-to-biomass conversion efficiency. (Credit: Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons)

The role of BSF as feed for poultry and livestock cannot be overlooked either. India is actually one of the largest suppliers of this feed. These flies convert compost and waste into vitamin-rich fodder, given their high waste-to-biomass conversion efficiency. The feed has even been correlated with higher productivity and well-being in chickens, as it promotes better gut health. Requiring high temperatures and moderate humidity to rear, Black Soldier Flies grow best in around 27°-30°C with 70% humidity. Ideal conditions such as these decrease the larvae harvest period from 45 days to 38 days. Fluctuations in this, though, don’t spell disaster–they just aid in mirroring natural habitats. 

In Europe, insect-feed has a much larger consumer base than in India, which has led to the development of the world’s largest facilities there. EU food regulation allows at least nine species of insects to be used for animal feed purposes. The industry as a whole is expected to grow in the future, given the increasing consumption of fish and meat. However, it remains nascent in India, attributed to little government involvement, knowledge gaps within the scientific community as well as religious beliefs. 

Also read: The 'plant' doctor will see you now

Rising industry in India 

The rearing of BSF larvae has been discovered by many agriculture and ecology enthusiasts in India. In Dimapur, Waste to Protein has utilised insects to break down household organic waste in Imphal, the state capital of Nagaland. 

They begin by collecting Black Soldier Flies from the forests, after which the eggs laid by the female flies are placed in a mix of wheat bran and water, to hatch. Then, the larvae feed on food waste. Some continue to reproduce while others become feed for livestock. Once the organic waste is reduced rapidly by the larvae–around 80 kilograms in 15 days–the remains can be used as compost or fertiliser. Though Waste-to-Protein may be a small project, it has processed at least 1.2 tonnes of waste monthly in 2023.

Two years ago, the biotech startup LoopWorm–which raised $3.4 million in its seed round–also cemented this process. They started small, by rearing Black Soldier Flies in a small flat. Eventually, they expanded to a facility in Bangalore, producing over 2000 tonnes of insect protein. Their focus is more on the production of poultry and aqua feed.

The founders Abhi Gawri and Alok Bagaria believe that India has the trappings to develop a symbiotic and beneficial relationship between insects and farming, given the tropical temperatures and abundance of organic waste. While both agree that mastering the production process has a steep learning curve, they argue that India is suited to insect rearing by virtue of its natural ecosystem and humidity levels, unlike North America and Europe, where such conditions have to be mechanically regulated and tend to account for a significant portion of input costs. 

This makes the process of setting up significantly more cost-efficient in South Asia.

The process has been used at a larger scale–as seen with the Kochi Corporation’s Brahmapuram plant, where alternative waste management is being explored. The facility reported in 2024 that around 8,000 tonnes of food waste was consumed by larvae in just 6 months–the remnants can be sold as fertiliser and the process emits zero greenhouse gases like methane. However, for independent and commercial insect-for-feed ventures, it has been difficult to find funding and then ready consumers–given the traditional mindset of Indian livestock businesses as well as a lack of regulatory frameworks for insect farming on the policy end.

Hence, they look to foreign markets and cut corners by relying on manual labour. The lack of government incentive for investment R&D has discouraged much competition in the industry – looking at the heavy subsidies offered in turn for fertilisers, the aim seems to be to kill insects, and not to protect them. 

BSF farming may signify a cleaner, more hygienic future for India. With public urban spaces being slowly engulfed by trash and garbage, the need for a sustainable method of waste management becomes more urgent. Moreover, as rural India still reels under the pressures of a non-existent waste management system, insect farming in particular, points to the possibility of a holistic approach to disposing of organic waste, which is in sync with agriculture.

Also read: Do-nothing farming: The Masanobu Fukuoka story

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Heading 4

Heading 5
Heading 6

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Block quote

Ordered list

  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3

Unordered list

  • Item A
  • Item B
  • Item C

Text link

Bold text

Emphasis

A man holding a frame with a bunch of bees on it.
A group of people sitting in a field.

Superscript

Subscript

Written by
Chaharika Uppal

Writer based out Delhi, interested in long-form narratives about how politics and climate intersect and impact individual lives.

Co-author

Edited By
Anushka Mukherjee

Bangalore-based journalist & multimedia producer, experienced in producing meaningful stories in Indian business, politics, food & nutrition; with a special interest in narrative audio journalism.

References

You might also like

See all
Tasmia Ansari
|
May 7, 2025
|
3
min read

The secret life of marigolds: Pest patrol hiding in plain sight

Hacks involving the flower and roots can boost crop and soil health

Read More
Tasmia Ansari
|
April 25, 2025
|
7
min read

India’s mushroom moment: Rural and urban farmers are betting on fungiculture

Favourable climate and access to compost and diverse species have changed the game

Read More
Chaharika Uppal
|
April 16, 2025
|
4
min read

These ducks mean business in paddy fields

Across states like Odisha and Kerala, ducklings are enabling rice farmers to do away with chemical pesticides

Read More
Tasmia Ansari
|
April 8, 2025
|
5
min read

Beejamrutha: A natural tonic to give seeds a strong start

The four-ingredient tonic works wonders for mango and apple saplings

Read More
Tasmia Ansari
|
April 1, 2025
|
5
min read

Prebiotic or probiotic—what should you be eating?

To aid the gut’s complex ecosystem, know how to balance both

Read More
Rida Fathima
|
March 13, 2025
|
4
min read

How biochar keeps soil alive for centuries

Yet it lacks policy backing and subsidy support in India

Read More
Rida Fathima
|
March 6, 2025
|
3
min read

Can nitrogen-fixing plants replace synthetic fertilisers?

Inter-cropping tur and chana with cereals has been an age-old practice

Read More
Tasmia Ansari
|
March 6, 2025
|
4
min read

Why neem oil is the OG pest buster

Safer than chemical pesticide, it works in harmony with nature

Read More
Rida Fathima
|
February 18, 2025
|
3
min read

Humus 101: Why this organic matter is crucial

Rebuilding humus levels can help reverse India’s soil crisis

Read More
Rida Fathima
|
February 15, 2025
|
5
min read

Regenerative farming: Solution to climate change?

A method that encourages mimicking nature’s processes

Read More
Rida Fathima
|
February 1, 2025
|
5
min read

Meal prep: How Indian kitchens can optimise time, taste

The secret sauce? Small batches, pre-cut veggies and repurposing

Read More
Rida Fathima
|
January 30, 2025
|
5
min read

DIY kombucha: A simple, delicious guide to brewing

Complete with a cleaning, feeding and burping routine

Read More
Tasmia Ansari
|
January 23, 2025
|
5
min read

Do-nothing farming: The Masanobu Fukuoka story

How a Japanese farmer succeeded with no plowing or weeding

Read More
GFM Staff
|
January 10, 2025
|
4
min read

Natural vs organic farming: What you need to know

A breakdown of the major differences between both practices

Read More
GFM Staff
|
January 3, 2025
|
3
min read

How organic farming fights climate change

The future of sustainable agriculture, explained

Read More
GFM Staff
|
December 24, 2024
|
min read

A simple guide to understanding organic food

What you eat can save entire ecosystems

Read More
Michael Caruso
|
October 30, 2024
|
4
min read

The micro solution to India’s macro problems

Algae captures carbon, conserves water, and could even replace plastics

Read More
Tasmia Ansari
|
October 15, 2024
|
2
min read

The sweet science behind dates' health benefits

How to take control of your sugar intake

Read More
Navneet Vallampati
|
August 6, 2024
|
3
min read

Macronutrients 101: What your body craves and why

Learn how your body uses fats, carbs, and proteins

Read More
Navneet Vallampati
|
August 5, 2024
|
3
min read

Micronutrients 101: Your guide to nature's tiny health boosters

Understand the vital role of vitamins and minerals in daily life

Read More
Navneet Vallampati
|
August 5, 2024
|
3
min read

Why the ground beneath our feet matters

The surprising power of soil in the battle against global warming

Read More
GFM Staff
|
August 7, 2024
|
5
min read

Understanding the element that makes and breaks our world

How forests, oceans, and new tech could absorb excess CO2

Read More
GFM Staff
|
August 6, 2024
|
3
min read

The heavy metal threat lurking in your diet

Agricultural findings expose alarming levels of metal in staple crops and vegetables

Read More
GFM Staff
|
August 8, 2024
|
4
min read

How Miyawaki forests are reshaping urban landscapes

The forests need maintenance only for the first two to three years

Read More
GFM Staff
|
August 8, 2024
|
3
min read

Microplastics are infiltrating your body

Drinking bottled water increases your plastic intake

Read More
Good Food Movement logo
Connect with us

What Goes Inside

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates from the Good Food Movement.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Read
Feature ArticlesPhoto StoriesExplainersAntimicrobial Resistance
Watch
Good Food ChampionsRootmapsClear CutsVlog
Listen
Climate BridesSlow Cooked
Capsules
You Are What You EatGood Food CardsDo it nowBook readingComic Books
About
TimelineAbout GFMOur ValuesFAQs
Our Work
Stories of a TreeDevarakadu FarmReverse Migration
Join
VolunteersCollaborate With Us

© 2024 Good Food Movement. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy.