Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is facing hunger and malnutrition challenges combined with a high and the fastest (2.6 %) growing population in the world, a third of which is young, that is, below 24 years of age (UNFPA & PRB, 2012; Plecher, 2019; World Population Review, 2020). Simultaneously there is high annual per capita food loss/waste of 120 -170 kg (Sheahan & Barrett, 2017). Hence, food waste is anticipated to increase with the increasing population. Through the ‘Piloting the Production and Distribution of a Low Cost ‘Protein and Micro-Nutrient Rich Cricket Feed from Food Waste in Kampala’ (Food Waste-2-Cricket Feed) project in the UCU Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, a team led by Dr. Geoffrey Ssepuuya has established: (i) that there is a daily production of 768 metric tonnes of food waste in Kampala; (ii) a processing protocol for converting food waste to a safe and shelf-stable cricket feed; and (iii) that the developed feed can support the growth and development of the house cricket Acheta domesticus. The proto-type cricket feed is nutritious with a performance similar to that of broiler starter mash. It contains a minimum of 21 % protein content, 8 % fat, 3 % fibre, 6 % ash, and 380 Kilo calories of energy. The prototype product has been branded for marketing and distribution.
