GreenCape, in partnership with the Anglo American Group Foundation, has published a brief looking at the opportunities in frass production from Black Soldier Fly (BSF) agriculture.
Whilst the broad opportunities for BSF are well documented, this opportunity brief introduces the role of BSF frass in fostering regenerative horticulture. More specifically, the brief introduces the reader to frass, its benefits, and the opportunities that exist, notably to keep organic waste out of landfills whilst also futureproofing the sector’s reliance on functional soils.
In particular, this brief discusses:
- The role of BSF frass in future proofing horticulture.
- The opportunities for growth.
- Enablers and barriers of this growth.
- General industry insights.
- Regulatory landscape.
Horticulture faces three major incentives:
- Minimise the ecological impact,
- Maximising yields, and
- Ensuring supply chain resilience.
This is driving the interest in more sustainable and novel fertilisers to displace conventional riskier sources. This includes a wide range of “Bio-fertiliser”9, such as frass, the mixture of larvae faeces, exoskeleton sheds, and remaining undigested feed substrate.
Key insights from the brief include the following:
- Innovators are using BSF larvae to convert organic waste into high-value products, including animal feed, pet food additives and soil amendments.
- Frass has many unique characteristics that synthetic fertilisers do not, and which stimulate the soil food web, which in turn feeds and protects plants.
- The frass of BSF can be used to create a high quality organic fertiliser that supports regenerative agriculture.
- The primary opportunity for frass production relates to organic waste producers / handlers seeking a landfill alternative disposal solution.
To access the full brief click this link, or click the PDF thumbnail above.