Currently, a large demo cricket farm is under construction. This will be build by MIXA Foods & Beverages in Kisumu, Kenya.
At the moment market demand for cricket powder is sometimes outpacing supply. This is in line with calculations of the World Bank; they see a market for farmed insects for human food and feed worth USD 8 billion by 2030 in Africa.
A few local farmers asked TNO to develop a scaling strategy. TNO in collaboration with our local trainers developed a model for medium-sized cricket farms linked to 100 small holder cricket farmers. The mid-size farm trains and provides eggs to the small holder farmers, they will breed the crickets to adults and will sell their yield to the medium farm for processing and sales. This ‘101-farm’ delivers 63 million eggs and 21 tons of fresh crickets annually. This 101-farm can act as cooperative or handling an out grower model / contract farming.
This first 101-farm will be established now. This will acts as a pilot with a 101-model cricket farm. In this pilot knowledge is developed whether this design and scale of a 101-cricket farm fits the local context. This knowledge will be shared to other farmers and will benefit their productivity and income. A successful 101-cricket farm shows a continues supply and offtake off crickets will attract more entrepreneurs and investors, both required for further scaling. If this model farm in Kenya is successful we will facilitate more 101 farms in East and West Africa and create impact on nutrition, entrepreneurship and climate smart agriculture.
